No Choice
by keikopanda102
Summary: Naruto has given up everything in order to save Sasuke's life- but why? Now, Sasuke is determined to find out what would make Naruto care so much about him after everything he's done. SasuNaru. Yaoi. After Shinobi War Arc. Plot and Romance.
1. Part 1

**No Choice**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Kishi does, and he does a damn fine job with it if I do say so myself! Hope you enjoy my fanfic!**

**Summary: When Shikamaru and the rest of the rookie nine set out to kill Sasuke once and for all, Naruto does all he can to stop them. Now, he and Sakura are banished from the village and traveling with Sasuke who is determined to figure out why Naruto would give up everything he had, just to keep him alive. Are there more to Naruto's feelings than there first seems?**

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Part 1:

"Everyone knows why we are here, correct?"

The rookie nine, along with Sai, were gathered in a small room in the lower part of the newly rebuilt Hokage tower. Shikamaru stood at the front, looking over the faces of all his closest friends- minus two very important members. The faces of the men; Kiba, Shino, Rock Lee, Neji, Sai and Choji, were all held in stern determination as they comprehended the venture they were about to undertake. The kunoichi of the rookie nine; Ino, Tenten and Hinata, sans Sakura, were less sure about the choice they were to make in this small room. Every few minutes the others could hear a small sniffling sound coming from Ino.

Shikamaru took a deep breath then opened his eyes and said with conviction,

"We are all here because we believe in Naruto."

He paused and a few people nodded their heads in agreement. He went on,

"Everyone here knows the trials Naruto has faced. We've watched him grow along with us into possibly the strongest shinobi the Leaf, and maybe even the world, has ever seen. We have always been behind him, backing him up when he needed our assistance and now, when his dream of becoming Hokage is _so close_, we must stand behind him once again to assure that dream becomes a reality."

Murmurs of agreement fluttered across the room, then it became quiet again. Shikamaru was growing closer to his point. To the reason they all knew they were there.

"We all know there is only one thing standing in the way of Naruto realizing his true potential. This is no longer about the village. What we must do, we do for _Naruto._ The person who holds Naruto back is the same person who has recently been spotted, alone, near the Land of Fire, close enough for us to find and eliminate!"

Shikamaru closed his eyes again to add dramatic tension. He had never cared for giving speeches before, but this was an important moment. This would determine whether the others would go along with him on this dangerous mission. He knew how difficult it would be, but he truly believed that for the betterment of The Leaf, and particularly for Naruto Uzumaki himself, it needed to be done. He opened his eyes and said clear into the room,

"That person is Sasuke Uchiha."

There was silence and so he continued,

"You are all here voluntarily to help complete this secret mission, and for that I thank you. This will be dangerous, and some may even die. No one will deny Sasuke is a formidable opponent, but remember this! He is alone, and he has no reason to fight. We have each other and we fight for Naruto, we fight for The Leaf! If we are all agreed, then it is time to leave."

The mood in the room was contradictory. Shikamaru's speech had energized them, but when they thought about what they were energized to go do, they became conflicted and confused. A few of them, like Rock Lee and Hinata, couldn't help but think about how Naruto would feel if he knew what they were going to do. The whole mission was a chance, that's why it was secret. There was no guarantee they would kill Sasuke, and even less assurance that Naruto would just simply accept that Sasuke was dead and move on like they hoped he would. People like Ino and Choji couldn't help but think that Sasuke had been one of them, and that killing him was somehow a betrayal. Yet, all the nay-sayers nodded solemnly along with those that agreed whole-heartedly with this venture, and filed silently out of the room. Ten bodies slid stealthily out of the gates of the Leaf as the darkness of night crushed over them, reflecting the dark deed they had set out to do.

* * *

Sakura Haruno clutched her heart, not wanting to believe what she had just heard. She had been listening secretly on the other side of the door to the room where Shikamaru had announced his and the rest of the rookie nine's mission- to kill Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura's very first love. Her ex teammate who had abandoned the village to seek power and then became her enemy. Sasuke Uchiha who had nearly killed her as she was about to kill him.

_No..._She thought. _I was never going to kill him. I couldn't. I can't. _

She closed her eyes as she remembered what her friends had just set out to do.

_But Shikamaru can._

She gulped. As she had listened secretly in on their meeting she had noticed that she agreed with what Shikamaru was saying. She thought Naruto could be Hokage too. Sasuke had been holding Naruto back ever since he left and no matter what Sakura did she just couldn't get Naruto to give up on their ex teammate.

She also understood probably more than anyone how Naruto would feel when he discovered Sasuke was dead. Panic suddenly overcame her like a violent chill. She knew _exactly _how Naruto will react when he found out Sasuke was dead.

"Oh no..." she moaned softly to herself.

She started to run. As she ran, tears started to pour down her face. She was crying for Naruto, for Sasuke, for herself, and for the entire village. Thought part of her warned not to do what she was about to, another part of her kept her legs moving in one direction- towards Naruto.

She tried to dry her eyes when she reached his apartment and knocked on the door. It was to no avail for the second he opened it, already wearing the clothes he usually slept in, and frowned in worry asking her, "Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" she burst into tears again and buried her face in his chest as she cried.

He tentatively patted her hair as she attempted to calm herself. Finally she caught her breath long enough to look up and into his bright, worried eyes. She had still been deciding if telling him was the best idea but when she saw his eyes she pictured exactly how they would look filled with rage and pain instead of worry, and the decision was made for her. She had no choice. She had to tell him.

"They're going to kill him!" She cried, grabbing tightly onto his shirt. "They're going to kill Sasuke!"

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha was empty. There was nothing inside of him, of that he was convinced. There was nothing there because everything that had been there before was now gone, eaten up by revenge, burned down to the dregs from a lifetime of hatred.

He had nothing and no one to care about, and because of that he barely cared about himself.

When Shikamaru and the others attacked he wasn't completely surprised. He knew he had been spotted a few days before. He'd been careless and it came back to bite him. He didn't want to die, but he didn't really want to live either.

Not a word was spoken between him and his old friends as they began to fight. They had nothing to say to each other. He got in quite a few good blows in the beginning. Ino was an easy target; always had been, but he didn't put enough power behind the attack to kill her. Shino's bugs weren't so much painful as they were annoying so Sasuke retaliated against him next. He couldn't help but notice the way they helped each other fight. Whenever he attacked one person, another was always there to help deflect or lessen the strength. There were too many people attacking him all at once and he was beginning to wear down. He thought he might have a chance if he took Shikamaru out, he was obviously the leader. He threw a phoenix fire jutsu in his direction but Akamaru jumped in the way and took all the damage.

That was the turning point in the battle. Kiba was mad and Shikamaru was still yelling orders of attacks. They all focussed in on him at once and Shikamaru caught him in his shadow possession jutsu. Suddenly he was being sliced from all directions. Several wounds poured blood at once and he fell to his knees. They closed in on him and as a final effort he sent a huge shock-wave of lightning from his body, throwing them all back at least ten feet.

It would have worked if that hadn't been the very last of his chakra and nearly the last bit of his strength. He was barely holding himself up on one hand he couldn't move at all. After a moment half were back on their feet and Shikamaru was walking towards him with murderous intent plain on his face. Sasuke stared back defiantly, ready to accept his fate, when all of the sudden from behind him he heard a familiar voice.

"STOP!"

"Dammit Shikamaru it's Naruto! Kill him now!" Kiba yelled.

Naruto Uzumaki came crashing into the clearing where Sasuke lay on the ground with the other member's of the rookie nine spread randomly, Shikamaru standing closest to Sasuke. Naruto jumped over Sasuke and stood between him and Shikamaru with his feet apart and his arms spread wide. His eyes found Shikamaru and he pleaded with his gaze until Shikamaru's anger grew and he yelled,

"What are you doing here Naruto?"

"I can't let you kill him," he answered simply.

The others who were standing or kneeling behind Shikamaru muttered quietly and stared at Naruto, each with a different expression. Sai, who was bleeding from a wound in his leg, yelled angrier than he'd ever yelled his entire life,

"NARUTO!"

Naruto's eyes flashed in Sai's direction, then quickly back at Shikamaru.

"If you kill him it will only bring pain and hatred and that just breeds revenge. It's a horrible cycle that never ends!" Naruto explained so to try and get Shikamaru to understand, praying his argument would get through.

Shikamaru just closed his eyes and shook his head then yelled back, feeling just as strongly as Naruto that _he_ was the one who was right, and Naruto was the one who was wrong.

"Sasuke Uchiha has no one that would feel pain for him! No one to feel hatred for those who killed him! Sasuke Uchiha has no one! No one will take revenge for Sasuke's death! No one!"

Naruto took a deep breath and spoke very clearly then, slowly, with purpose and in a leader's voice,

"I would take revenge for Sasuke's death."

A few people gasped and Shikamaru was taken completely aback. He looked at Naruto like he'd never seen him before and asked cautiously,

"You would attack your fellow Leaf shinobi, your comrades, your friends... _for him_?"

Naruto opened his mouth and seemed to choke on his words. He swallowed and looked visibly shaken, but when he spoke his voice was steady as a rock.

"I wouldn't have any other choice."

Shikamaru's eyes shot open wide and he shook his head slowly, not wanting to believe what Naruto had just said. He mouthed the word "no" silently over and over as Naruto stared back defiantly in that same protective position.

"You cannot mean that, Naruto," he whispered. "You _always_ have a choice. You know that better than anyone! We're your friends!"

Naruto nodded to show his agreement. Shikamaru noticed that he wasn't wearing his headband. He assumed that he'd probably gotten dressed fast when he found out what they were planning and simply forgot to put it on. He probably ran all night to catch up with them. The more he thought about this the angrier Shikamaru grew. Did Naruto really care about Sasuke this much?

The wind picked up in the small clearing and Naruto's hair billowed about his face. He nodded again, staring around the clearing at each of his friends before stopping at Shikamaru once again.

"You _are_ my friends," he said meaningfully, lowering his arms and stepping forward with one foot. "That's why I need you to understand! Please!" His voice altered into a pleading hush.

"Don't kill Sasuke. Let him come back with us. As a prisoner if we have to, just please let him live."

He fell sharply to his knees, his hands on the ground before him and his head bowed.

"I'm begging you Shikamaru."

Gasps erupted from the others who were watching this scene unfold. Naruto even thought he heard a quiet hiss of, "idiot" from behind him.

He didn't care. When he looked up it was straight at Shikamaru and even his eyes seemed to be begging with all worry of dignity gone.

"Why?" Shikamaru whispered, and the clearing hushed so that the only sound that could be heard over the wind was Akamaru's labored breathing. Naruto bowed his head towards the ground again, his mouth remaining closed. Shikamaru waited until he was sure Naruto was not going to answer, and then he yelled,

"WHY?" He didn't wait for Naruto to reply before he continued. "Naruto, do you not understand what you are asking? Do you not understand why we _did_ this? We did it for you!"

Naruto looked up, the gray light from the overcast sky filling his blue eyes and making them shine unnaturally bright. Shikamaru could see his hands clench, his fingers digging into the soft earth as he replied softly,

"I know."

Shikamaru was loosing his carefully constructed control. How could Naruto be acting like this? It was so clear to him, why couldn't Naruto understand?

"Sasuke is your weakness!" he shouted, and Naruto flinched.

"You have a chance to _be_ someone! He's all that's holding you back! Without him you could be the next Hokage!"

Naruto now looked like he was in physical pain. He bit his lip then said softly,

"Fine, Shikamaru. You win. Just let him leave and we can go back-"

"No!" Shikamaru growled. The others watching him became tense, confused. Why wouldn't he let Sasuke go? It was clear that Naruto wouldn't allow him to be killed.

"The only way Sasuke Uchiha leaves here," Shikamaru said slowly, like an ultimatum. "Is if you leave with him."

"Shikamaru!" Choji said his best friend's name warningly, trying to get him to calm down before things got even more out of control.

Shikamaru didn't flinch, just stared defiantly at Naruto, confident that this would get him to see clearly. Naruto stared back at him with wide eyes, then looked down, his hair casting a shadow over his face. Slowly he stood to his feet, and Shikamaru let out his breath, sure that his declaration had snapped Naruto out of whatever insanity had gotten a hold of him. Once on his feet, Naruto fixed Shikamaru with an unreadable gaze, then said flatly,

"If that's the way it is, then I guess this is goodbye."

"Naruto!"

"No, you can't-"

"Shikamaru, don't let him-"

"QUIET!" Shikamaru yelled behind him. "You heard him, didn't you? He chose Sasuke!"

The clearing was silent once again. All eyes were on Naruto. What would he do?

He closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

"Fine."

Shikamaru was beyond shocked, but he regained his composure quickly.

"If this is really what you choose," he muttered darkly, "then I have nothing else to do but to... banish you."

The uproar behind him was insurmountable. Every bird residing in the trees surrounding the clearing flew into the sky as every voice screamed in defiance of this sudden declaration. This was serious. Shikamaru was head adviser to the Hokage ever since his father died. He _had_ the power to banish Naruto if he really meant what he said. This threat was not to be taken lightly. A pink blur suddenly crashed into the ruckas and landed beside Naruto, panic and worry etched all over her face.

"Sakura, what are you doing here? I told you to stay back!"

Sakura ignored him and turned to Shikamaru.

"Please reconsider!" she cried, grabbing a hold of Naruto's sleeve desperately. "He'll change his mind! He doesn't mean it!"

"If you're so upset about this then why did you tell him in the first place? I know it was you, Sakura, don't deny it! You had to have known it would turn out like this when you told him! This is your fault! And look at him," Shikamaru growled through gritted teeth. "He means exactly what he says. There is no way he's going to change his mind, I can see it plain on his face!"

Sakura looked up at Naruto and saw his jaw and eyebrows firmly set, staring straight ahead at Shikamaru. She stepped in front of him, trying to hold back the fresh sobs that were desperate to break loose from her eyes. She grabbed his face with both of her hands, forcing him to look square into her eyes.

"Naruto," she muttered. "Please... please. Before you do anything rash. Look around. Look at all your friends and _tell me_ you would really be willing to become their enemy."

Naruto slowly nodded and she moved away so he could see everyone clearly.

They were worn from battle, bruises already forming in various places on each of their bodies. Kiba was lying protectively over Akamaru's body and he held Naruto's gaze when their eyes met. Shino was nearby and he dropped his head, leaving Naruto turn to Ino who couldn't even look at him she was sobbing so hard. He gulped when he saw Neji holding protectively onto Hinata's shoulders. Neji glared but he barely saw it because Hinata's silent cry was worse than any angry expression. He closed his eyes as if physically struck and when he opened them he saw Rock Lee staring at him sadly. His lower lip trembled and Tenten clasped his hand to help comfort him. Finally, he saw Sai. Sai looked worse than sad. He looked heartbroken, like Naruto had betrayed him.

Naruto turned back to Shikamaru after glancing at Choji's kind, patient face, then sighed. Besides him, Sakura felt the beginnings of relief. Perhaps it worked, maybe he was rethinking everything.

Then, she saw Naruto slowly turn and stare at Sasuke. Sakura turned to look at him too. He was lying battered on the ground and gave no hint of an expression to either of them. It was in that moment that Sakura finally and completely lost all affection for Sasuke. She turned to Naruto and hung her head, seeing that he hadn't shared the same epiphany she had. She couldn't understand it. What did he see in Sasuke?

"That's how it is, Sakura." Shikamaru addressed her and she turned back around to face him, Naruto slowly doing the same. "He has chosen Sasuke, so he is banished."

Sakura still couldn't accept this, couldn't believe this was happening. This had to be just a big mistake. There was no way Naruto was going to be banished, it couldn't happen.

"No!" She cried. "Please! Don't do this Shikamaru!"

"Sakura!" Naruto said calmly beside her. "There's nothing you can do. I made this choice, and a ninja always sticks by his choices."

Sakura's brain raced, and before she could stop herself she yelled,

"Then I'm coming with you!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at her and gasps once again sounded from the rest of the rookie nine.

"Sakura you can't!" Ino cried. "Think about your family! What will your mother do if your banished from the village?"

"She's right, Sakura," Naruto said, frowning. "I've made my choice. I can't drag you along with me."

"You won't be 'dragging me along with you.' I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself and I'm not letting you do this alone, Naruto. I'm staying with you no matter what."

Ino turned to Shikamaru.

"Don't do this Shikamaru! We can't loose two of the village's best shinobi over something like this! Just let Sasuke leave, please Shikamaru!"

"I've made my decision!" Shikamaru spat. "And so have they!"

The clearing was silent again as the serious finality of the situation crashed over all of them at once. Something had been broken, and Shikamaru was mad, madder then he'd ever been before. He could not comprehend what Naruto could be thinking. They had set out on this mission _for him_, and now he was the only thing standing in their way. Why couldn't he understand that Sasuke was bad? Bad for him, bad for the village, bad for the world!

He clenched his fists and closed his eyes. Then when he opened them he yelled,

"Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno are hereby banished from The Leaf Village. You are to leave the area and never return. Everyone else, it's time for us to go home. This mission has failed, and we have no more business here."

It took a few moments before the others realized the command given by Shikamaru was final. As leader, they were obligated to follow his commands, even when they disagreed with them. Neji started to leave first, pulling Hinata along with him. When he passed Rock Lee and Tenten they dropped their heads and followed slowly after their teammate. Like the entire thing was in slow motion, they all began to leave the clearing and file into the woods that surrounded it, heading in the direction of the village. Finally, only Shikamaru, Choji, Ino and Sai remained.

"Take Ino and make sure everyone is okay." Shikamaru said sternly to Choji.

He nodded and began pulling Ino away from the clearing as her sobs continued uncontrollably.

"Sai," Shikamaru then said. "You go back too. Unless... you feel your loyalties lie were Naruto and Sakura's do."

Sai stared at Naruto and Naruto stared back for a full minute. Even Sakura could see how hard this was on Sai. After all, she had just made a similarly hard decision moments ago.

Suddenly Sai's gaze flickered to Sasuke still laying on the ground. He frowned and without another word, turned on the spot and vanished in a whirl of black ink.

Now Shikamaru stood alone on the opposite side of the clearing, facing Naruto and Sakura. He shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Naruto..."

"But I made my choice," Naruto finished for him solemnly.

Shikamaru nodded and felt his anger bubble up inside him again. He turned around to leave and just before disappearing to follow his comrades, muttered darkly,

"I was wrong about you, Naruto. You _don't _have what it takes to be Hokage, and now you never will."

The second he vanished Sakura and Naruto heard a "thump" behind them. They quickly spun around and saw that Sasuke had passed out, his fatigue and multiple wounds having finally caught up with him.

* * *

**Hi! Welcome to chapter 1, nice to meet you, I'm KeikoPanda102, the author of this fanfiction. I sure do hope you liked this chapter, and I hope even more that you stick around for the next chapter, because I have a really good feeling about this story, I think it could be my best ever! If you like it so far, please tell me what you liked about it in the comments! Yay! XD**

**KeikoPanda102!**


	2. Part 2

Part 2:

Sasuke awoke to pain. His entire body ached inside and out, especially his head. He tried to open his eyes but his vision was blurred. He heard movement near him then felt something cold and wet pressed against his arm. He hissed and tried to move his arm away, but that only opened three different wounds and made his head throb even worse.

"So you're awake," Sakura said flatly.

That was when he remembered what had happened to cause him to be in such a sorry state, and what had happened after that ended up saving him.

He thought he was surely dead, then Naruto came out of nowhere and defended him, even to the point of going against his own friends.

Even to the point of being banished from the village he loved so much.

Sasuke relaxed and tried to open his eyes again. This time it was easier, but everything around was still a bit blurry. He replayed what he could remember of the scene before he'd passed out. Naruto and Shikamaru had argued because Naruto wouldn't let them kill him.

_But why?_ He wondered silently as his vision finally focussed. Sakura was on his left, and he seemed to be inside some kind of tent. She was organizing bottles and arranging clothes in different sizes off to the side. She looked up when there was some noise just outside, then Sasuke heard Naruto's voice call out,

"Sakura?"

She quickly exited the tent, not casting a glance in his direction. He listened intently as they spoke just outside.

"Is he okay?" Naruto asked. Worry laced his words and somehow it made Sasuke's heart leap. Naruto was genuinely worried about him. _Why?_

"He'll live," Sakura replied, "I think he's awake. Do you want to talk to him?"

"No... If he's gonna be okay then it's fine. Is the tent okay? It was the best I could get with the money I had in my pockets. It's lucky you were wearing your medical bag... Sakura? Are you okay?"

Sasuke heard small sobs and pictured Naruto gently placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her as she cried.

"I c- can't believe we're banished," she mumbled through her tears.

"Sakura, you don't have to do this!" Naruto said sadly. "You can go back to the village, I'm sure they would take you back!"

"No!" She replied fiercely. "I- I'm staying! I just... I miss everyone already. Where are we going to go, Naruto? What are we going to do?"

"Just take care of Sasuke for now, okay? I'll think of something. I promise."

She must have nodded because Sasuke didn't hear her reply and a moment later she entered the tent, tying the flap open to let in light and air. Sasuke could just tilt his head enough to see outside. It was dusk and the sun was setting. He could hear running water. They must be beside a river or stream.

Sakura saw his eyes clearly open when she entered and she glared at him, moving to the side of the tent and grabbing a cloth. He heard her sniff a few times and was sure she wiped her eyes before moving over to his side again. She sat beside him silently and placed her hands over a wound on his chest. They started to glow green and he felt a soothing sensation flow from where she touched, the pain easing as she healed him. She healed a few of the more serious wounds then started wrapping different placed on his body in the gauze. With the careful hands of a medic she lifted him into a sitting position to wrap the longest piece of gauze around his torso and left shoulder. it hurt to move but once he was sitting he felt much more comfortable.

She avoided his gaze the entire time she worked on healing him. He didn't care, in fact he felt relieved she wasn't questioning him or glaring at him like she had when she walked in. As she went back to heal what felt like a broken shoulder he asked,

"Why are you doing this for me?"

His sudden question surprised her and she faltered in her healing, glancing at him with wide eyes before realizing what it was he had asked. Her surprised expression transformed into an angry one.

"I'm not doing this for you!" She spat. "I'm doing it for him."

He gazed at her as she returned to healing his arm, then slowly turned to stare outside the tent. Now that he was sitting he could see to the river. It looked red from the setting sun that was reflecting off of it. On the bank he noticed Naruto sitting completely still, staring off into the water. He still couldn't understand.

"Why is _he_ doing this for me?" He whispered, more to himself than to Sakura.

She froze, and her hands stopped glowing. From the corner of his eye he saw her turn and look out the tent too, in the same direction he was looking. She frowned and clenched her fists, then said earnestly,

"I don't know..."

She then helped him lie back down and cleaned up the rest of her healing materials. She turned to leave and said curtly before closing the tent flap and leaving him inside,

"A good nights rest should help you heal faster."

As soon as she was gone he exhaled deeply and let himself relax onto the stiff blanket that had probably come with the cheap tent Naruto had bought. He heard a fire crackle a few minutes later and darkness finally settled all around. He closed his eyes, exhausted from a long, tiring, confusing day.

As he drifted off to sleep he kept picturing Naruto leaping over him and standing in front of him with his arms spread and his feet apart, then Naruto bowed down in front of him, begging as if dignity didn't even matter. That was the moment that shocked Sasuke the most. That was when he really became confused. Why, why, why, why, why, why, _why_ would Naruto do all of this for him? When he had done nothing but betray Naruto, why did he give up everything he had just for him? They had been enemies longer than they had been friends and yet still, _still_ Naruto defended him.

Sasuke Uchiha fell asleep thinking that maybe Naruto Uzumaki was just as much an idiot as he looked.

* * *

This time, when Sasuke awoke, pain was not the leading feeling he experienced. That job was traded to the uneasy sense of confusion he felt after having a nice night in which to think over the previous days events. Confusion... and hunger.

He lied on his back, staring up at the beige top of the tent, listening to his stomach growl complaints. He contemplated getting up to try and find something to eat but although the aching of his body had lessened dramatically, healing seemed to have taken all of his energy. He was also well aware of the precarious situation he found himself in regarding Naruto and Sakura who, besides giving up their home and friends to save his life, were the only ones taking care of him until his wounds fully healed.

He wasn't sure how to act around them. It wasn't that he felt guilty, Sasuke hadn't felt guilty about something since he had made the fateful choice to leave the village for Orochimaru all those years ago. He kept telling himself that Naruto and Sakura had made this choice freely, therefore it wasn't his fault they were banished, and he had no reason to feel guilt.

At the same time, he felt like he owed them something, and he assumed that whatever happened, at least until he was back at 100% capacity, the three of them would be sticking together.

That was the prospect that most baffled Sasuke. The three of them hadn't spent any time together since he left. Well, any time when he wasn't trying to kill them. He didn't feel any impulses to kill them now, but he didn't care about them like he once had when they were teammates. Sakura had already made it perfectly clear the day before that she didn't care for him, and Naruto-

Sasuke couldn't figure him out. Naruto seemed to care about him. To _genuinely _care. It caught Sasuke off-gaurd and made him uneasy because he couldn't figure out why he _would _care. It was really starting to bug him.

So, while waiting hungrily inside the tent and thinking all these things over, Sasuke decided that he would go along with Naruto and Sakura. sakura could heal him and then he could leave whenever he wanted and go... Well, he would figure that out when the time came. He didn't know how long it would take for his strength to fully return but he hoped that maybe by then a little bit of the mystery surrounding Naruto Uzumaki would be cleared up. Not that he cared, it was just bothering him because it made no sense.

He heard movement outside the tent and a few minutes later, Naruto's voice.

"Sakura, can you go check on Sasuke?"

"Okay."

The next moment she crawled inside the tent. He glanced at her to show that he was awake and she glared back like she had the day before.

"You need some fresh air," she mumbled as she went to his side lifted his arm around her shoulder. They struggled to get him through the door but once he felt a cool breeze against his skin he felt much stronger and stood up straighter with her still beside him for assistance. They walked slowly a few feet towards the river then stopped so he could sit down on a log and rest. Naruto approached them slowly from down by the water. He scowled and seemed to be deeply troubled, but made an attempt to smile when he saw them.

He handed both Sasuke and Sakura an orange and the three of them ate in silence. When he was finished he looked toward upriver and held a hand up to block the sun. Sasuke felt his eyes drawn to that strangely familiar tan skin and whiskered cheeks.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked tentatively when she was halfway through with her small orange. "What are we going to do now?"

Sasuke turned back to Naruto and saw him scowl again, then reply,

"To Sand. I'm hoping Gaara will be able to help us. We should probably set out as soon as we can."

His stomach happened to choose that moment to growl loudly so there was no chance either Sasuke or Sakura hadn't heard it. He blushed lightly then seemed depressed and said,

"...and we probably aren't going to be eating much. I spent all the money I had on that tent."

"I have money." Sasuke said suddenly. Both Sakura and Naruto turned to him as though they had forgotten he was there. Sasuke looked back at Naruto blankly. "It's in my shirt in the tent."

Sakura quickly ran back to tent and brought the shirt back out with her. She handed it to Sasuke and he reached into one of the pockets, pulling out a good handful of cash. Their mood brightened instantly. Naruto smiled at Sasuke and asked,

"We can use this?"

"It's not like I want to starve to death," he replied. "Or sleep in a thin, old tent. We can use that to get sleep rolls too."

"Then," Naruto said, standing up and putting the money in his pocket, "we should get going! I'm sure there'll be a nice breakfast stall in the closest town. The sooner we get there the sooner we get breakfast!"

He hurried and took down the tent, wrapping it up and throwing it across his back to sell when they reached the first town, and then helped Sakura get Sasuke back on his feet. She seemed much more inclined to assist him now that he had helped them procure some kind of food source. She was still acting as though she didn't particularly like him, but the aura of hatred he had felt pulsating from her body had practically vanished.

They began walking slowly towards the Sand. Naruto predicted it would take about three to four days with their speed, if they walked all day. It was clear that he wanted to get there as soon as possible.

Sakura had to help Sasuke walk for most of the first day because his body was still broken and sore from the beating he'd taken from the rookie nine. When they stopped to rest she gave him short healing sessions that left him temporarily energized but caused him to sleep like a rock when they finally stopped for the night.

The very first night was the first time Sasuke noticed it.

While they were walking it had only seemed strange, but not obvious enough for him to think too hard about it. When night began to fall and they stopped to set up camp it became much more noticeable. He was sure Sakura noticed it too, but she didn't say anything about it, and she probably thought it was for the best. For Sasuke on the other hand, it was unnerving and just added to the list of odd things Naruto was doing that related to and annoyed him.

Naruto was avoiding him.

He asked Sakura whenever he needed anything done- not that Sasuke would be much help in his sorry state, but he could at least roll out the beds and maybe even make starting a fire easier by using a low-level fire jutsu. If he wanted an opinion he asked broadly so that the question wasn't mainly directed at Sasuke, and either he or Sakura could answer.

Naruto even avoided looking at Sasuke. In fact, the only time he had looked at him was when he'd asked if they could use the money. Sasuke was sure about this. He'd been watching Naruto as they walked and Naruto hadn't even glanced at him. Not once. Beyond that, he seemed to be positively _avoiding_ looking at him.

A few times Sasuke thought he caught a very troubled scowl on Naruto's face. It was the kind of expression one makes when one is berating or reprimanding ones-self. But Sasuke just couldn't figure out why Naruto would need to be doing something like that, or how exactly something like that would relate to Naruto avoiding him, which made even less sense than Naruto allowing himself to be banished from the Leaf village for Sasuke's sake.

The whole thing made no sense, and the less sense it made, the more curious, and therefore frustrated Sasuke became.

As he lied on his sleeping roll a few feet beside Sakura (Naruto was on her other side), he racked his brain to think of some reason, some _inkling _of a reason that Naruto would do the things he did, but nothing came to mind. All he could remember about Naruto was Naruto from the past.

It astounded Sasuke to remember some of the things he did when he was still a part of team seven. He had still cared back then. Cared about something other than revenge and hatred. He'd cared about his teammates, and their safety, even to the point of putting his own life in risk just for them.

He rolled over and scowled just thinking about it.

He was naive and foolish back then, with no understanding of how cruel the world really is.

Naruto had been even worse than him, always thinking he could get by on guts alone.

"He was such a..." Sasuke said quietly to himself after he was sure Sakura and Naruto were already asleep, "dobe."

The second he spoke that word memories came rushing back.

_That's right... Dobe. I would always call him that when he was being an idiot. He used to call me something too. What was it again? I think it started with an 'S' or maybe a...'T'?_

And so, for the second night in a row, Sasuke Uchiha drifted off into a deep sleep thinking about how much of a moron Naruto Uzumaki really was.

* * *

If he hadn't known Naruto was avoiding him by the first night, the next morning when he woke up he got proof what he suspected was actually true.

"Do I really have to keep helping him walk like this? It's starting to hurt my shoulder having him lean on me."

"We'll get there faster if you help him, Sakura. You know that."

"Why don't you help him then?"

"J- just go see if he's awake and tell him we need to start moving."

As it turned out, Sakura didn't have to help him as much the second day. He was healing fast, mostly due to her assistance. At the end of the second day the landscape began to change, alerting each of them that they were nearing the Sand village.

Sasuke noticed on the third day that the closer they got, the more panicked Naruto seemed. This wasn't particularly hard to notice, especially since Sasuke spent most of his time as they walked just watching Naruto. He didn't really have anything else to do, and the more he thought about it, the more _frustrated _he became.

On the third night he sat on a cold rock as Sakura's glowing hands moved slowly up his right arm, staring at Naruto sitting up in a tree quite a ways away. He was staring so intently he was almost surprised when he heard Sakura speak to him in a cold voice.

"He's stronger than you, you know."

Sasuke turned to her. He doubted that Naruto was stronger and was quite confident in his own strength. Besides, Naruto had always been just a little bit weaker than he was. At least, that was what he liked to remember. Sasuke fixed Sakura with his dark, familiar gaze for so long she finally had to look away, biting her lip. He just kept staring at her and suddenly his frustration with the situation just boiled up and he felt like saying something cruel.

"I've tried to kill you, you know."

She quickly turned her wide green eyes upon him, only to get a hold of herself a moment later and glare at him with tears already shimmering.

"You don't have to tell me that!" she hissed, gripping his arm and jerking it to one side, causing sharp pains to shoot up into his shoulder. He winced but didn't make a sound.

"I would have killed him too!" he said as she stood up and walked away from him, over towards the fire. She paused a few feet away from him and turned back around like she was going to say something, then stopped herself. Shaking her head angrily she sat down beside the fire and kept her back to him until Naruto returned to the camp and told them it was time to sleep.

It was barely past breakfast on the fourth day when they entered a large desert. Sakura wasn't offering to help him walk anymore and the shifting earth beneath his feet made him fall back behind the others a few times. It was hot and dry and did nothing to improve the bad mood Sasuke had been in since he'd woken up.

Finally at midday they encountered what they hoped to be a welcoming party. Sasuke saw Naruto's smile appear when just over a tall, sandy hill, a large number of people were gathered together, waiting to greet them. He waved happily at first, but then slowly dropped his hand at the same time his smile dropped off of his face. Sasuke looked on ahead and saw what would make Naruto change his mood.

Gaara stood in the middle of this group of people, scowling in an unwelcoming manner.

He looked nearly the same as when Sasuke had last seen him at the kage meeting. He didn't notice it until they were closer but aside from Gaara who's eyes were on Naruto, every other person there was glaring straight at him.

"Gaara!" Naruto yelled when they were close enough to be heard over the roar of the wind on the desert sands. A few yards closer and then they stopped a safe distance away from the Sand shinobi. There were about ten of them, including Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.

"How did you know we were going to be here?" Naruto asked cautiously.

Gaara's eyes seemed to slide up and down Naruto, as if evaluating him, making sure it was really Naruto. Finally he looked back at Naruto with his blank gaze and replied,

"Shikamaru sent a hawk explaining what happened. I know you've been banished, Naruto, and I know why you came here. Naruto..." he hesitated, then inhaled deeply. "I'm afraid I cannot help you."

The change in Naruto was instantaneous.

"Please, Gaara-"

"Naruto, how could you?" Temari interrupted. "Betraying your own village is bad enough if it's for a good cause but it's for _him_! What do you owe him, Naruto? He's just-"

"Temari." Gaara glanced at his sister and she silenced herself, turning her head and glaring at Sasuke once again.

"I agree with Shikamaru, Naruto. Lady Hokage has given strict instructions that whichever village assists the banished Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno will be penalized."

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed quietly, clenching his fists.

"She also said this," Gaara went on, louder, and Naruto looked at him hopefully. "All will be forgiven if Naruto and Sakura turn in Sasuke Uchiha. Their citizenship will be reinstated and everything can return to normal. Naruto," he spoke now, not as a messenger for Tsunade's statement, but as a friend.

"Please consider this option. You have a _choice_ here, and I'm begging you, as your friend, to stop this insanity! Sasuke Uchiha does not deserve this! He abandoned you, Naruto! Why won't you understand that?"

Naruto's head was bent to the ground, his shoulders raised as if he could block out Gaara's words with his body language. It looked like every word Gaara spoke stung. Beside him, Sakura was sobbing quietly to herself. After a moment's silence, Naruto slowly raised his head. He was smiling, but it was a dark smile with no humor.

"You know, I thought maybe _you_ would understand, Gaara. I guess I was wrong... DOES NO ONE UNDERSTAND WHAT FRIENDSHIP IS ANYMORE?"

Gaara turned away. Sasuke felt as if the tension in the air was even thicker than the grains of sand that shifted in the wind. No one seemed to breath. Sasuke got the impression that when Naruto spoke of friendship he was referring more to Gaara than to him. But then, what about their friendship? Was _that_ why Naruto was doing all this?Friendship?

"Naruto," Gaara begged, "please..."

Sasuke noticed a thin stream of sand, not like the sand that was all around them on the ground and in the air, but controlled sand, Gaara's sand, snake it's way around one of Naruto's wrists, as if to pull him in, to capture him.

"No!" Naruto replied angrily, and flung the sand away from him as he did. "No, I understand, Gaara. I see how it is now. We won't find any assistance here. We might as well leave. Lets go, guys..."

He turned on the spot and started walking away. Sakura followed suit and the Sasuke as well. No one was glaring at him when he turned away. Gaara wore the most heartfelt expression of pain and loss he'd ever seen, and everyone else was staring at Naruto's receding back as if he was a ghost leaving their midst, a sad image of someone who had died. That was really the way they saw him now, as no longer existing.

And it was all Sasuke's fault. As the three lost shinobi slowly made their way back in the same direction they had come, Sasuke Uchiha started to feel the tiniest beginnings of guilt seep into his consciousness. All he knew was that something inside him hurt every time he looked at Naruto's back knowing, but not understand, that Naruto wouldn't turn around and look at him like Sasuke wanted him to.

**Chapter 2! Excitement! Things are getting intense. I meant to write the scene with Gaara longer and more serious but I was running out of time and patience. **

**Hope you like it and are looking forward to the next chapter, I know I am!**

**KeikoPanda102**


	3. Part 3

Part 3:

"We're gonna try asking for help from another friend of mine," Naruto announced as soon as they stopped to camp for the night. They'd had to walk all the way out of the desert before they could stop and it was already dark. Camping in the desert at night was never a good idea, especially when you weren't prepared for it.

All three of them, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were shaken by what had happened with Gaara. Naruto and Sakura because they felt the first taste of banishment and ostracism from their friends, and Sasuke because of that feeling of guilt that, once noticed, couldn't be ignored.

Yet, as they stood in the moonlight in a small outcropping of trees on the edge of the great sandy expanse of land, Sasuke felt a different feeling start to bubble up inside him. He couldn't quite place it, but when he found himself looking at Sakura and Naruto he couldn't help but think of the past. Something about their presence made Sasuke want to act like he used to act.

"Hn," he snorted, and rolled his eyes. "Because that worked so well the first time."

Naruto didn't give any hint that he'd even heard him. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glared. He didn't appreciate being ignored.

"We're going to Lightning to see if Killer Bee will take us in. Even if his brother is Raikage, he doesn't have any political obligations that would stop him from helping us. I think he might..."

Naruto then frowned as he seemed to remember something. Sasuke smirked.

"Oh, did you just remember that I almost killed that guy once? I'm not sure if he'll be too welcoming if you show up with me by your side."

Again, Naruto all but ignored him. Instead of turning to him, Naruto saw that Sakura had just started to cry again and ran to her side. Sasuke was beginning to wonder when the stupid girl was going to run out of water in her body.

"Lightning?" Sakura muttered, looking at Naruto with wide eyes. "We're going all the way to Lightning? But that's so- so far from..."

Her lower lip trembled and Naruto put his arm around her. All of the sudden, Sasuke felt very lonely. The feeling of nostalgia from a few minutes before was gone because as he saw them comforting each other he realized that he wasn't really a part of "them" anymore. Though he might be traveling with them, he had been separate from them for too long. A deep growl grew in his chest until until he turned on Sakura and became a more familiar, cruel Sasuke as he yelled,

"Far from where, Sakura? Far from your precious Leaf? Go home then if you can't handle it out here!"

"Sasuke," Naruto said firmly. "Don't yell at her."

Something warm spread through Sasuke's body when Naruto spoke him name. It was the first time he'd said it to his face since... he couldn't even remember when. Then, Sasuke noticed that Naruto still hadn't caught his eye. With anger he hadn't felt in what seemed like years, Sasuke bared his teeth and quickly replied to Naruto in a voice that echoed off the darkness that surrounded them.

"Stop acting like the goddam leader, Naruto! You don't know what the fuck you're doing! You're just as stupid and pointless as you've always been, aren't you? You're just dragging Sakura along on this useless mission. You already regret saving me, I can see it on your idiot face. Well... Say something! Defend yourself if you-"

"Sasuke, stop! Please stop!" Sakura cried, throwing her hands out between him and Naruto. The whole scene was like a long forgotten dream, dejá vu. He had a strong feeling as though all three of them were just children, barely able to take care of themselves.

Sasuke was breathing heavily and could feel a painful stitch in his side where he knew a particularly nasty broken rib hadn't been completely healed yet. But he didn't feel bad. Because Naruto was finally looking at him. Something in his eyes made Sasuke think that the feeling of deja vu had been shared by all three of them in that moment when Sakura put herself between them.

Then, Naruto smiled sadly and shook his head, looking suddenly like the farthest thing from a child.

"You still don't get it, do you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke felt lost. He didn't want this Naruto, not this Naruto who was calm and sure about everything he said and did. Sasuke had once heard that your true character can only be measured by how you act under stress. If that was true then Naruto had double, maybe triple the character he had. He thought back to how he had acted under stress and pictured himself sacrificing Karin without blinking and... taking Itachi's eyes. His hand drifted up and covered both his eyes gently. He didn't regret it but he had stopped using the power they had given him when Madara fell. It felt... wrong.

In that moment Sasuke felt like a weight was taken off his shoulders. He moved his hand away from his face in time to see Naruto still staring at him with those cool blue eyes and Sasuke stared back, and felt like he never wanted to stop staring at Naruto. There seemed to be light coming from him and the more he stared, the brighter Naruto became.

Naruto exhaled deeply and turned to Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry but please set up camp while I find a town to buy a map from. We can camp here for the night and head to Lightning in the morning. It'll be okay, Sakura. I promise."

With a reticent sideways glance at Sasuke, Naruto sprung back with carefully trained ease and disappeared into the darkness beyond their camp. Sasuke felt a little bit like laughing. That last glance hadn't been calm and sure at all. It was much more like old Naruto, and Sasuke was relieved to see that Naruto was still there somewhere. The dobe Naruto he remembered.

But at the same time, the old Naruto never would have come up with a diffuser for this situation that easily. In fact, the old Naruto couldn't have done anything this Naruto was doing. The old Naruto wasn't a leader, this one was.

He noticed Sakura carefully approach him with her hand held out, staring at his chest. He nodded and removed one side of his shirt so she could begin a lackluster healing session on the rib her medic trained eyes must have noticed was bothering him. He was still caught up thinking about Naruto, but after a few minutes of silence opened his mouth to say something, then hesitated. Sakura noticed this and glanced at him. He looked back at her and with a clipped sigh, asked,

"What... happened to him?"

He grazed his eyes over in the direction Naruto had just left from. Sakura seemed to understand the question even if it wasn't completely clear. She shrugged and replied coolly,

"He's changed." She nodded towards him. "You've changed. I've changed. We've all changed."

"I never thought he could act like that," Sasuke mused thoughtfully. "Like a leader. Maybe he really could be Hokage."

"Not now!" She spat, suddenly glaring at him. "Not since he's going on this stupid mission for you! He'll never be Hokage now and it's- it's all your fault!"

"Yeah? Well why don't you try to talk him out of it then?" The guilt in the back of his mind grew with every word she spoke and he was starting to think he liked her about as much as she liked him.

"You know that won't work, and it's not like I haven't tried! Why did you have to come close to the Leaf in the first place? None of this would have happened if you just stayed _away_!"

"If you hate me so much," he hissed venomously, "why aren't you running on home to the Leaf?"

He had expected her to cower from his cruel remark but she just glared at him as the glow from her hands reflected in her eyes.

"And leave him alone with you?" She replied darkly. "Not a chance."

* * *

Sasuke had noticed it before, but now it bothered him, and he didn't know why.

It was obviously when Naruto returned with a map and a cold meal for the three of them. Both he and Sakura had heard someone coming in their direction and tensed, watching the darkness carefully. Sasuke had exhaled when Naruto leapt into the campsite they had set up while he'd been gone. It was just a fire, a tarp, and three bed rolls, but it was better than nothing. Sakura had run forward to take the food from his hands and let him sit down by the fire.

He smiled at her as he handed over the small portions of food he'd bought and she set them beside the fire to warm. Sasuke watched as he opened the large map he'd also bought from a nearby village and tried to find where they were by the light of the fire. Even though it was late he didn't seem to be tired, and when the food was warm, he ate like he was starving.

"We're going to have to go through Fire to get to Lightning, which could be problematic if we're spotted, but it's the fastest way," Naruto said after he finished his small meal and figured out approximately where they were on the map. He was doing that thing again, where he spoke aloud and broadly so as not to directly speak to Sasuke, but Sasuke felt included at the same time.

Sakura put down the water she'd been drinking and moved to sit next to Naruto to look at the map as well. He pointed to where they were in relation to the town he had just visited, then drew a line to Lightning and went on.

"Killer Bee once told me that he doesn't like to stay in Cloud too much, and he has a house near the eastern shore. It will take us at least a week to make it there, if we go straight through. I think Land of Fire is going to be the hardest country to get through but if we stay out of major towns it should be fine. I still don't know if they're gonna be out looking for us or not. The way Shikamaru acted made it seem like..."

He dropped her gaze and stared into the fire. Sakura looked at Naruto sadly and that was when Sasuke really noticed it.

He frowned. That look in her eyes whenever she looked at Naruto. No wonder it was so familiar. It was the exact same look she used to give him, every moment of every day. After their first real mission in the Land Of Waves she had calmed down a little and he could stand her, he even liked her as a teammate. When the three of them started the Chunin exams he had been happy with both of his teammates, and their captain. Sure, Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi all had their flaws, but he'd grown to be protective of them, and his rivalry with Naruto was always interesting.

It wasn't a lie that he'd always liked Naruto more than Sakura. At least he was useful, and he never looked at him like Sakura looked at him, like she was looking at Naruto now.

Sasuke didn't know why, but it bothered him when she put her arms around Naruto to cheer him up. It bothered him to think that she probably knew a whole lot more about Naruto than he did, and that she had spent all these years right beside him when he had been away. And how, when she yawned, Naruto smiled at her and announced that they should all go to bed if they wanted to get to Lightning as soon as possible.

If that wasn't bad enough, when they had all gone to sleep, Sasuke heard Sakura mutter in that pathetic girly voice of hers,

"Naruto, I'm cold..."

Sasuke found himself holding his breath as he waited for what Naruto would do. There was a shuffling and Sasuke had to resist turning around to see if his assumption was right, but then he heard Naruto say sleepily,

"Here, trade places with me so you'll be closer to the fire."

Sasuke smirked to himself as he was sure this hadn't been the solution Sakura had been trying to get to. Also, he noticed that now Naruto was laying beside him and the cold night felt warmer somehow as he finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha is a particular type of person. That can be clearly identified by studying the themes of his life and the actions and decisions he's made throughout that life. Everyone has a certain personality type, but Sasuke's is just a little bit easier to figure out than most other people's are.

Sasuke Uchiha is an obsessor.

He finds one single solitary thing on which to focus and exhausts nearly all his energy on that thing. When he was a child that thing was impressing his father. After the massacre, that obsession became a negative impact on Sasuke Uchiha's personality. His new obsession was revenge, and that one thought carried him through almost all the years of his life.

Revenge was the driving force, the reason behind his decisions, and he became familiar with the feeling. Revenge was something of a comfort to him. The moment he got his revenge on Itachi, Sasuke Uchiha actually felt lost. That's why, when a new opportunity arrived before him to continue on the path of revenge that he was so familiar with, he took it.

But revenge isn't healthy. Obsession, though it may seem strange, can be healthy, if used correctly. After obsessing over revenge for so long, Sasuke became overwhelmed by it, and it consumed him, until he was rid completely of that driving force, the desire for revenge. When that was gone he was relieved, somewhere deep down inside, but mostly he was scared and lost again. Lost for the second time in his life.

Sasuke Uchiha was an obsessor with no obsession, and so he was barely alive, barely himself. Sasuke Uchiha needed a new obsession, and Sasuke Uchiha found one.

Naruto Uzumaki was Sasuke Uchiha's new obsession.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off him. From the moment they woke up, Sasuke looked around and found Naruto's bright orange jacket and pants. When they began to walk, Sasuke still being a bit too wounded to run, he kept his eyes trained carefully on the back of Naruto's head. The way his hair moved as he walked, which direction it curled from his scalp, how much it had grown and how far it went down his neck. The way he walked, still a bit clumsily, like he remembered, but with a confidence and pride that he didn't remember.

Maybe he was trying to combat all the looks Sakura was giving Naruto. Maybe he just had nothing else to look at. But maybe he did it because he was determined to figure Naruto out. To understand what the reason was behind Naruto's complete dedication to keeping him alive.

Sasuke Uchiha was obsessed with Naruto.

Of course he himself didn't notice it. Neither Sakura nor Naruto noticed it either, they were too busy ignoring him. Sasuke paid special attention to that too. To the way Naruto would turn his head so he could only see Sasuke out of the corner of his eye to make sure he was still there. It wasn't exactly ignoring, just selective focussing.

They made it to the border of the Land of Fire on the first night and stopped there to camp, planning on traveling quickly through Fire the next day or two and making it out without incident.

The majority of Sasuke's wounds were healed, especially those on the lower half of his body. Sakura had spent extra time healing his legs to make sure he would be able to move as fast as possible and defend himself if they got into trouble. Sasuke heard her whispering cautiously to Naruto after she finished healing him that night,

"Naruto, what if he... what if he tries to run away?"

Sasuke waited with bated breath for Naruto's reply.

"He won't." Naruto had said simply, but he didn't sound 100% confident.

Sasuke was confident though. He wouldn't try to leave, at least not until he understood Naruto, and he was beginning to think they would need to be alone before that was ever going to happen. That made him even more annoyed that Sakura had come along when Naruto had declared he would leave with Sasuke and abandon the village. Sasuke thought about what Sakura had said to him the night before.

_"And leave him alone with you? Not a chance."_

He could understand her worry. He had said many times that he would kill Naruto without blinking, and when he had said it, he didn't think it was a lie. Looking back he knew that it was.

He might have subconsciously been obsessed with Naruto for quite a long time. That night as they went to sleep just on the outside of Land of Fire territory, Sasuke had a dream of a memory from not so long ago.

It was when he was traveling as Akatsuki with Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo. He didn't remember what they were doing but Suigetsu had said something stupid and for a fraction of a second he'd almost called out Naruto's name and the word "dobe." That hadn't been the only time Suigetsu had reminded him of Naruto either, and there were a few times Karin's and Suigetsu's fighting had made him feel like he was watching the old Naruto and Sakura, but they were fleeting moments before he remembered that he was obsessed only with revenge, and didn't have energy to think about silly things from his past.

But Naruto was always there, always on the edge of his mind. If he said he never once thought about Naruto while he was living with Orochimaru he would be lying through his teeth. He went over their last battle at The Valley of the End hundreds of times, analyzing practically every move and attack of both his and Naruto's. It calmed him down and energized him at the same time.

* * *

They started into Land of Fire timidly, as if expecting five anbu to come popping out of the shadows and attack without warning. They stayed on the outskirts of towns and made sure they had a wide berth around the Leaf so not to tempt an attack. The weather was gloomy the first day and it slowed them own along with dampening their spirits. Sasuke thought they actually went the entire day without saying a word and when it became too dark for them to keep going, Naruto scouted a small cave that they could escape the coming rain for the night.

Barely had Sakura began cooking dinner did the prediction of rain come true. Sasuke watched as Naruto stared dreamily off into the downpour. He knew Naruto didn't like rain. That tan skin and bleach blond hair was proof.

All of the sudden, as Sasuke watched, Naruto's expression became horribly sad. Sasuke half expected him to start crying right then and there, but then it passed as suddenly as it had come, Naruto's face returning to a blank gaze at the dark sky outside. Sasuke also noticed that his fingers dug into his palms momentarily before they too relaxed and became still. It was strange and Sasuke couldn't make sense of it.

There was obviously something Naruto was holding in. Sasuke had never known Naruto to be the kind who holds in the things he feels. That was who he was supposed to be, not Naruto. Sasuke wondered why he didn't just tell Sakura what was bothering him, but then he realized that what he really wanted was for Naruto tell him what was bothering him.

As he stared at Naruto's back he felt a sudden urge to go closer to him. He was really beginning to hate being avoided and ignored. He wanted to be closer to Naruto. He wanted to know more about him. He wanted to know everything about him. How else would he ever figure Naruto out?

Frowning, and seeming just as unhappy as Naruto was in the moody weather, Sasuke turned away to stare at the blank cave wall instead of torturing himself staring at that orange back he'd become so familiar with over just a few short days.

Naruto woke both Sakura and Sasuke up before dawn even broke the next morning. He looked as though he hadn't slept and he kept staring at the entrance of the cave anxiously.

"We need to get out of the Land of Fire. I thought I sensed someone outside all last night... but maybe it was just my imagination. Let's get moving."

Both Sakura and Sasuke nodded and quickly gathered their sleeping rolls on their backs and followed Naruto out of the cave as he rolled up the map and stowed it inside his jacket. Luckily, the weather was much nicer than it had been the day before and it made them move quicker through the trees. Naruto told them they wouldn't stop until they were out of Fire, just to be safe, but halfway through the day that plan had to be changed.

"Naruto!" Sakura said, panic clear in her voice.

"I know!" He replied, clenching his fists. "Someone's following us."

Sasuke had felt it too and was waiting to see what Naruto would do. He silently activated his sharingan just in case, moving a bit faster to keep up with Naruto and Sakura.

"What do we do, Naruto?" Sakura asked as she pulled out a pair of gloves and slipped them on her hands. Seemed like she was getting herself prepared for a fight too.

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed and looked back. "We'll just have to face them and see what happens."

He came to a halt on a thick branch as they had been running atop the trees in the forrest. Sasuke and Sakura stopped right beside him and the three of them waited silently until they could hear the casual leaps of a trained shinobi coming ever closer. All of the sudden two figures landed on a branch about 10 feet away from where Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were standing in cautious defensive positions.

Light shining through the trees reflected off his sideways Leaf Village forehead protector as Hatake Kakashi crouched low on the branch, his one visible eye curved in a friendly smile. Pakkun the ninja dog landed beside him a second later.

"Yo!" he said cheerfully. "Sorry I'm late!"

* * *

**Kakashi-sensei you are very quality. If you weren't late we would have thought something was a bit off with this whole situation. **

**Sorry for cliffhanger (kinda). And I'm sorry this is being such a slow story, but I promise it will be good when it finally gets going!**

**KeikoPanda102**


	4. Part 4

Part 4:

"Sorry I'm late," Kakashi said in his usual lazy tone of voice. "But in my defense, no one decided to tell me about this reuniting of Team 7 until you guys had already left."

Sasuke dropped his defense and turned automatically to Naruto to see what his reaction to this new development would be. Naruto looked surprised at first, then slowly a smile appeared on his face. His eyes glistened like he might cry but the next moment he was frowning and turning away from Kakashi, looking like he was in pain.

"You shouldn't have come here, Kakashi-sensei," he moaned sadly. "I never wanted to drag everyone along with me... First I got Sakura-chan banished, and now you too? I wanted to do this on my own so no one else would have to suffer for my choices!"

Sakura put her hand on his shoulder as Kakashi stood up tall with one hand resting lazily on his hip. He shook his head and chuckled lightly.

"I wasn't banished. I left. Did you really think I could let my cute little students run off all on their own without their sensei to look after them?"

Sakura smiled at Kakashi and Naruto looked up, still frowning.

"We're your friends, Naruto. We weren't going to let you do this alone."

Sasuke felt the loneliness even stronger this time. He stared darkly as Sakura hugged Naruto and smiled at Kakashi timidly, as though he could barely believe what was happening was real. Then, all of the sudden, Kakashi spoke him name.

"And of course I didn't want Sasuke to be killed, you're my student too after all."

Sasuke looked up, surprised. His old teacher was smiling at him and Sasuke couldn't help but think that Kakashi didn't seem that different. He looked like the same old Kakashi. The way he acted was the same too. Always knowing just what to do. Before he even realized it, he was smiling back. Not a wide, happy smile full of joy, but a small smile that wasn't a smirk, as though he was genuinely pleased to be included.

Kakashi knelt down and patted Pakkun on the head, saying cheerfully,

"Thanks for helping me find them."

"No prob, Kakashi. Whenever you need something, just gimme a summon."

"Will do," Kakashi replied, and Pakkun vanished in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi jumped over to the branch Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were standing on and said flatly,

"I'm assuming we're on our way to Cloud, since the Kazekage turned down your request for assistance?"

Sasuke saw the pain in Naruto's eyes as he remembered their meeting with Gaara, then he nodded, looking up at Kakashi and asking in a nervous hush,

"How is... everyone?"

"It's only been a week, Naruto," Kakashi said softly. "But everyone is really worried about you. Especially Iruka-sensei. He hasn't stopped fighting your banishment since Shikamaru and the other's returned. I'll bet he's still fighting it. Yamato and a few others are also upset, but no one more than Sai. Whenever I saw him he was just staring off into space like he didn't know what he was supposed to be doing. Tsunade got so tired of it she gave him some time off to pull himself together, but I don't think it helped."

"So," Naruto muttered, looking towards the ground, "The Hokage is fine with it? What Shika did?"

Kakashi hesitated, pausing and looking a Naruto carefully before he answered.

"You know how good Shikamaru is at convincing people to listen to what he has to say. At least, he can be when he tries."

Naruto nodded thickly.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you sure about this?"

Kakashi didn't even answer, just jumped over to the next branch and called back to them,

"Come on! We'll never get to Lightning if we just stand around like this!"

He started running through the trees and Sakura was first to follow after him. Sasuke waited until Naruto leapt forward before he went along too.

Sasuke felt conflicted. The guilt was growing. How could Kakashi stand there and say he was still part of team 7? Still his student? After everything Sasuke had done, and Kakashi was still defending him... just like Naruto was. In fact, he thought that Naruto was probably the reason Kakashi was still defending him. Kakashi was a realist. He knew what Sasuke was capable of, and he understood all the things Sasuke had done, all the things he'd felt. Especially the hatred. Each one of them, Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto had all seen Sasuke's hatred firsthand, and yet they stood with him.

Sasuke couldn't help but think that Naruto was the one that brought them together like that.

It was better with Sakura. At least she hated him for what he'd done. There was no room for guilt when you're being hated. But whenever she spoke about Naruto, the guilt crushed him and he felt like he was falling very quickly, but not down, up. He had a feeling of rising up into the sky, but rising too fast, so the sun burned him and he could barely stand it.

The more he wondered about Naruto's reasons, the stronger that guilt felt. The more he thought about Naruto, the faster he felt like he was rising, and every time he looked at Naruto he could see the sun coming closer and closer to him, and he would try to look back behind him and all he could see was darkness, and that just made the guilt worse, the rising worse.

Naruto cared about him. He didn't understand why, but he understood that Naruto cared, very deeply, about him. It was conflicting. It felt good, having someone care, but strange at the same time.

Sasuke hadn't done anything that deserved the kind of caring Naruto felt for him, and that was what made it hurt so much.

* * *

Kakashi joining them actually made traveling that much more enjoyable. It seemed he didn't care for the awkward silence that had been going on between Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke before he arrived and tried his hardest to keep at least Sakura talking. She was definitely the happiest of them that he had tracked them down. She asked him all kinds of questions about how everyone back in the Leaf village was doing, and whether he thought they would ever go back.

Kakashi liked to tease Naruto about various things, like how he'd done leading the two of them before he showed up. Yet, he still allowed Naruto to act as leader. When they stopped just outside of the Land of Fire that evening and Naruto pulled out the map he'd bought, he asked for Kakashi's advice, not for Kakashi to tell them where to go.

Sasuke could tell that Kakashi was proud of Naruto. It was clear from the way he patted his head and teased him. He seemed proud of Sakura too, and it made Sasuke wish he'd done something for Kakashi to be proud of.

Sasuke quickly shook that thought away. It wasn't like Kakashi was still his teacher, what should he care if Kakashi was proud of him or not? Sasuke wasn't ashamed of the choices he'd made. What he did, he had done for a good reason. His clan and his brother, and revenge. But... he realized that he had missed a lot doing what he thought was right.

And maybe, just maybe, he had been the cause of bad things happening to people he had once thought to be friends.

The longer he stayed with them, the more he felt like they were becoming his friends again.

As he stared at Naruto he thought, _He's always thought of us as friends. He'd probably think that even if I died._

As he watched him and the sun set over the cliff the four of them had camped on top of, Naruto stood and walked away from the fire to sit just on the edge of the rock face, staring, as Sasuke had seen him do many times, off into the distance, looking as though he had something he needed to say, but was refusing to say it.

Sasuke frowned and without really thinking about it, stood to follow Naruto. There was no reason he shouldn't go talk to him. At the same time, he felt both Sakura's and Kakashi's eyes watching him as he moved further away from their camp and towards Naruto.

He knew Naruto sensed him coming closer and was glad he didn't surprise him. Sasuke didn't say anything at first, just stared at Naruto sitting there with his feet dangling over the side of the cliff. He waited, and finally Naruto spoke.

"They weren't supposed to come with me." He said, and Sasuke heard the same pain he'd heard when Kakashi had shown up that afternoon. Naruto was feeling guilty too, he realized.

"You were supposed to be _my_ burden, and I was supposed to bear it alone! They didn't need to do this..."

Sasuke was glad someone had finally said it, admitted that he was burdening them. They hadn't said it yet, not to his face. Probably because they thought it would be rude. It had bothered Sasuke, he wished they would just say it.

Hearing Naruto say it made him feel much better. And he realized that he agreed with Naruto. If he was to be a burden, he didn't want to be anyone's burden but Naruto's. It had always been that way. Everyone else was just in the way. The battle was his and Naruto's alone, as it was supposed to be.

He felt his heart racing and he opened his mouth to seize this one moment of solitude between them, muttering against the wind that billowed their hair and clothes around them like flames,

"Why-"

Naruto stood to his feet quickly and, still without looking at Sasuke, turned on his heels back towards Sakura and Kakashi. Confused and surprised, Sasuke stayed on the edge of the cliff until Sakura called him over to eat, and he didn't feel like looking at Naruto anymore, because he _knew_ now that Naruto wouldn't look back at him. He wasn't angry, but he was unsatisfied, and he knew Naruto was too. It was all there, in his expressions when he looked off into the distance. The thing that he needed to say, he needed to say to Sasuke. That was clear now.

But he wasn't ready to say it, and so he held it in and kept himself from looking or talking to Sasuke so he wouldn't feel the sudden need to say whatever it was that was weighing so heavily on his mind.

Sasuke understood now, because when Naruto had stood up to walk away from the edge of the cliff, his elbow had bumped Sasuke's arm. Like a static shock of knowledge, that was all it took for Sasuke to understand that he needed to wait if he wanted to _really_ understand the meaning behind Naruto Uzumaki's actions.

* * *

The next few days seemed like a dream. They went by very quickly and Sasuke didn't remember much of what happened. He didn't even notice when the scenery changed from country to country and climate to climate. The trees and mountains were just blobs of color for all he saw. Sasuke lived mostly in his mind, which isn't actually a very healthy thing to do, especially when your mind is as dark as Sasuke's.

He kept going over every bad decision he'd ever made. Every cruel remark and action he'd committed against Naruto personally. And although he stopped staring at the real Naruto that was right in front of him, the Naruto in his mind was always there to observe. Sasuke had never notice before how often Naruto smiled, but in almost all of his memories there it was, that smile.

Of course, there were also those memories where Naruto was glaring at him, or crying messily with tears running all over his face. He liked those faces. They comforted him, showed him how strongly he could get Naruto to react to him.

But Sasuke was glad when Naruto finally announced that they were close to where Killer Bee had described his small house was located. As if opening his eyes for the first time in two days, Sasuke noticed they were walking close to a water, probably the eastern shore like Naruto had said when they were still back in Wind Country.

It was about midday and they came upon a small port village by the water. Kakashi asked a fish merchant whether he knew of someone with Killer Bee's description living nearby. Luckily the man was very friendly and knew exactly what Kakashi was asking about, directing the four of them down a narrow road lined with tall pine trees on each side. Kakashi thanked him and returned to Naruto's side.

"He said it was only about a half mile down that road to Bee's house. It's the first house there so it's hard to miss. What should we do, Naruto?"

Naruto seemed thoughtful and looked down the thin road before sighing and saying thoughtfully,

"Since we're so close, we might as well just go. He might not even be there, so it can't hurt."

"And if he turns us away?" Kakashi asked quietly.

"Then we'll just have to find somewhere else to go."

With that, Naruto started down the road casually. It was a pleasant day and the weather in this area was very nice. Sasuke could see why someone would want to stay here instead of the barren rocks all around Cloud. At least that was what he remembered of Cloud, but it seemed a very long time since he'd been there.

The nice weather calmed what might have been worry over whether or not Killer Bee would help them. Sakura even stopped to pick flowers that grew a little bit off the road a few times and arrange them into a little bouquet she carried with her. Kakashi was humming to himself and staring up at the sky while Naruto stretched and yawned a few times. Sasuke allowed himself to glance in Naruto's direction once or twice and noticed that he seemed tired. He wondered why.

The sun was getting lower in the sky when they rounded a corner and saw a small stone house. Naruto stopped and Sasuke saw him give one of those half-glances back in his direction. He lowered his head as he approached where Sakura and Kakashi stopped just beside Naruto and stared at him too. Kakashi sighed and raised his hands in a shrug.

"Well, we don't really have anything to lose, do we?"

Naruto nodded and they walked to the front door of the small cottage. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before knocking on the door. They didn't have to wait long to figure out whether anyone was home or not, Killer Bee's booming voice could be heard as he walked to the door and slowly opened it. When he saw Naruto his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"If it ain't my little fox friend, how ya been?"

It only took a moment after that for him to notice Sasuke standing harmlessly off to the side, still bandaged in some places from his wounds. Sasuke stared at him for a moment then looked away.

Naruto didn't even have to explain. Killer Bee seemed to understand the situation without being told. Naruto opened his mouth to try and say something but Bee held out his hand to stop him.

"I'm not one to hold grudges, no need to explain ya circumstances. I can see you've had some tries on your subsistence. I'll see if I can be of some assistance!"

Naruto looked like he could have hugged him. In fact, a moment later he sprang forward and hugged Killer Bee while shouting thanks over and over again, trying to rhyme different words of gratitude until Bee finally pushed him off and laughed quietly to himself.

"There's no room in this place, but I know of another space. My brother's cabin is up the hill, you all can use it to your fill."

He directed them to another path that was slightly off the one his small cabin was at the end of and then gave them armfuls of food to take up with them for dinner because it was quite a ways back to the village and he didn't want them to go hungry. He told them he couldn't go up with them right then because he was in the middle of writing a really good rap, but he would visit some time in the next few days to see how they were doing.

Naruto and Sakura thanked him about a hundred times each and then they set off down the second path as the sun began to sink. At first their spirits were high with this achievement and happy that they'd finally found some friendship, but the farther they walked the stranger it seemed, mostly for Naruto and Sakura. Finding someplace they could stay for a while meant they really weren't, really couldn't go back to the Leaf. When they were traveling it hadn't quite settled it. It had just felt like they were off on another mission. It was harder to think that way any longer.

Sakura was already dreaming about her room, and her family, and even Tsunade and training with her. Naruto missed Ichiraku and the village he'd been so familiar with. even if he didn't know exactly what they were thinking, he could see it on their faces and Sasuke's guilt grew.

If it hadn't been for Kakashi, their walk up to Bee's brother's cabin would have been silent and depressed, but after a few minutes of that he pointed out that Killer Bee had given them all the food they'd need for a good, hearty soup. He started a discussion with Sakura about making it as soon as they reached the house so they could eat it by seven o'clock at the latest. Naruto even joined in when they said they would try to make it as much like ramen as they could with the supplies they had. Sakura and Naruto got into an argument about whether or not they should put tomatoes in and Kakashi turned to Sasuke, surprising both him and Sakura and Naruto, asking,

"I say yes to the tomatoes, neh, Sasuke?"

It was the first time he felt included. The first question someone had asked him directly that was just for the heck of it, just to get his opinion. Sasuke didn't know what to say at first, then he just shrugged and put his hands in his pockets, looking off the side of the path and muttering out of the corner of his mouth,

"I like tomatoes..."

All three of them just stared at him for a minute, then Kakashi smiled and clapped his hands together.

"Perfect!" he said happily, "Tomatoes it is. Sorry Naruto, you've been out-voted."

He put his hand in Naruto's hair and moved it around so it mussed it up, and Naruto pouted as Sakura giggled and bumped her hip into his jokingly. Sasuke couldn't help but smile because this time he was part of the good mood, part of the group. It felt nice, even if Naruto still hadn't looked at him, something made him think Naruto remembered that Sasuke's favorite food was tomatoes.

There was also one other thing that put Sasuke in a better mood.

He could feel that the time when Naruto would finally talk to him, and look at him, and explain things to him, was drawing closer.

* * *

As it turned out, Killer Bee's brother's cabin was twice the size, and twice as nice, as Killer Bee's cabin. That wasn't very surprising considering he was the Raikage. Sasuke thought that Killer Bee seemed to like simpler things more than his brother.

The cabin was at the very top of a hill. The view was spectacular, especially from the porch that wrapped almost all the way around the house. It overlooked a steep valley whose walls had moss and various small shrubs growing sideways out of each side. Standing on the edge was actually a bit nerve-racking because it was practically a straight drop down into the low valley. At the bottom there was a small creek, but it was still a dangerous fall if you weren't trained as a ninja like all the inhabitants previous, and presently, were. It was actually built this way just for the thrill of it.

Sasuke hadn't gone inside the house until Sakura came out onto the back porch and announced that there were only 3 rooms, so someone would have to share.

"I'll share with Naruto." Sasuke spoke up quickly before anyone could offer another suggestion. He refrained from adding that that was most likely the solution someone else would have come up with too, seeing as none of them trusted Sasuke to stay by himself at any given time, and Naruto was best fit to handle Sasuke if some sort of situation were to occur. Both Sakura and Kakashi stared at him for a moment and he noticed Naruto nod slightly before entering the house through the large double doors that led into the huge living room and connecting kitchen.

Sasuke silently followed him inside and down a hallway as Kakashi's voice sounded from the other room.

"Sakura, would you like help starting dinner?"

"Eh? O- oh, sure!"

A few feet in front of him, Naruto stopped and opened a door, muttering more to himself than to Sasuke,

"This looks like the right room."

He disappeared inside and Sasuke followed a moment later, closing the door partly behind him so only a bit of light from the hallway was shining in. He watched silently as Naruto walked over to the other side of the room and turned on a light.

It was an average-sized room, carpeted and rectangle with only one window on the wall opposite the door. There were two beds on either side, perfectly made with beige blankets and white pillows. Naruto went to the bed on the left and Sasuke moved to the other one, resting on the edge with his arms behind him as Naruto continued to move around, setting things down and searching the dresser that was beneath the window of the room. Sasuke thought it was probably a bit rude of him to look through another person's drawers while secretly using their house, and any other time he probably would have called Naruto an idiot for doing it.

Naruto was turned away from Sasuke as he watched him heave a great sigh, his shoulder's bunching up as if he were about to do something he very much didn't want to do. Carefully, he removed his jacket and threw it onto his bed, then sat down, facing Sasuke, with his head lowered. He brought his hands up to his face and rubbed it while sighing a few more times, then he stopped and opened his fingers, revealing bright blues eyes that stared, finally, straight at Sasuke.

"Can't avoid me anymore, can you?" Sasuke whispered, locking his eyes on Naruto, trying to capture him so he couldn't look away again.

"Nope," Naruto replied, moving his hands away from his face and giving Sasuke an apologetic half-smile. "Guess I can't."

It was silent, except for the sounds of cooking and muffled conversation from the kitchen down the hall, as they simply stared at each other, evaluating the circumstances and trying to decide what should be brought up first. Sasuke couldn't help but notice that there was no hate on Naruto's face. Not a sprinkle, not a spec, not even a glimmer. After everything, _everything_, how could Naruto still look at him like that? Like he cared.

Confusion and then anger rose in Sasuke throat and he couldn't stand it anymore until he narrowed his eyes and glared, finally asking in a cruel, clear voice, _demanding_ an answer,

"Why?"

Naruto just stared at him, frowning slightly, then slowly he smiled just a little. Sasuke noticed that his hands, besides being pale and clasped tightly together, were shaking faintly. He flicked his gaze back up to Naruto's face and watched as he opened his lips, then stopped and swallowed, never breaking Sasuke's gaze as his voice finally broke.

"I- I only realized," he spoke with his teeth practically clenched together, like every fiber of his being was telling him not to open his mouth and speak. Every word was a chore and Sasuke could tell each syllable was specifically chosen to convey a certain emotion, but it was difficult, and Naruto was suffering, but he still went on.

"I only realized how important you were to me when Sakura said they were going to kill you. I thought, 'a world without Sasuke in it wouldn't be worth living in.' So no matter what happened then, no matter what happens now, I can't leave you, and I can't, I _can't_ let you die! If you die... I die too."

Naruto just kept looking at him, and he wasn't shaking anymore. He wasn't even waiting for a reply. He just seemed relieved to have finally said it. And Sasuke knew, every far off stare and pained expression had been because Naruto needed to say what he'd just said. It was quiet, but Naruto eyes looked _loud._ Sasuke wanted there to be more. He felt like there was more! And his heart was pounding, and that sound, combined with the way Naruto was just staring, just _staring_ at him... Sasuke was even more confused now than he had been before.

He felt a smirk slide onto his face that didn't feel like it should be there. It didn't reflect the way he felt inside at all, and yet it was all he could do, the only reaction he could physically make in that moment.

"Hn," he leered arrogantly, leaning back on the bed, trying to make himself look down on Naruto, trying to make himself feel more in control than he really felt. "That almost sounds like you love me."

Naruto's blue eyes do not reveal a flicker of deception or fear as he stared back at Sasuke with just the slightest hint of a smile gracing his lips. Sasuke barely saw that smile though, because it seemed to him that the entire world was just Naruto's eyes, just his eyes, just looking at him, bravely, fearlessly, electrifyingly! Sasuke felt like he would be sucked into those bright orbs. He had the feeling of rising again, rising up into the light, too fast, too blindingly and scorchingly fast, and he couldn't look away, and Naruto wouldn't look away. Naruto just kept staring and waiting, and finally Sasuke's own dark eyes widened as he comprehended what those eyes were screaming to him from their blindingly brilliant depths.

And it was just quiet silence. And Naruto wasn't saying anything. And every second of time that passed in that silence just conveyed the point even clearer. And Naruto didn't have to say anything with his voice, because his gaze said everything. The longer he stayed silent, the less Sasuke could deny the truth he was seeing in Naruto's eyes. The longer the silence lasted, and it seemed to go on forever to Sasuke, the wider his eyes grew right along with the confusing shock that felt like a slow burn that would never reach it's peak, until suddenly, the silence broke.

"Naruto, come help make dinner!" Sakura's voice, suddenly calling out from the kitchen, sounded abnormally loud, like a bell being rung right beside his ear.

"Coming, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called back in a voice that didn't do anything to belie the truth he'd just silently refrained from denying.

He stood and walked to the door. At first, Sasuke didn't follow him with his eyes. He was stuck staring at the place Naruto had been sitting on the bed, at the jacket still laying there where Naruto had thrown it before he'd sat down, before he'd said those things that were making Sasuke feel so horribly confused. But from the corner of his eye Sasuke saw Naruto hesitate before leaving the room. Without turning his head, Sasuke glanced at the door, and his eyes caught Naruto's again.

Naruto didn't say anything, but he made Sasuke understand without the use of words.

He closed the door behind him and left Sasuke sitting in the dark room. The sun had gone down outside and stars were beginning to appear, but the lamp still shone and left shadows along the walls. But that light wasn't enough to make the room bright. The greatest source of light had left, and no amount of lamps or stars could ever give the same warmth and vision that Naruto could, just by being there.

As he sat there, unmoving, unthinking, Sasuke heard Sakura whisper loudly from the other room,

"Naruto, are you sure it's okay to leave Sasuke alone like that? What if he leave, after everything we've been through-?"

"He won't leave, Sakura," Naruto answered clearly. "I know he won't leave."

* * *

**Heeeeeeeeeeeeey guys. Finally, we're getting somewhere! Hope I get good reviews for finally picking up the pace a bit! XD**

**KeikoPanda102**


	5. Part 5

Part 5:

For minutes after Naruto left, Sasuke just sat in the dark bedroom and came up with about ten different ideas as to what to do next. Some of those ideas included, but were not limited to; running away, killing himself, running away, killing Naruto, running away, and maybe more killing, just for the sheer thrill of thinking up how he would go about doing it.

Naruto's eyes suddenly popped up fiercely in his mind and he didn't understand why, but he felt himself stand and walk out of the bedroom door towards the kitchen. He could hear the voices of all three of them; Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto as well. He's almost drawn by that last voice. Perhaps following after Naruto had just become so much of a habit that he couldn't stop himself anymore, even after what Naruto had just said, or rather, _not_ said, a moment ago.

_"That almost sounds like you love me."_

Sasuke had meant it to be a joke. He wanted Naruto to blush and tell him that was gross, and to explain what he'd _really_ meant by saying he "couldn't live in a world without Sasuke." He hadn't expected, never, not in a million years, that Naruto would look at him _like that_. With that innocent smile and those heart-wrenching eyes. That he wouldn't deny Sasuke's accusation, that he would practically admit it with his expression alone, admit that what Sasuke had simply joked about was actually... true?

Sasuke could feel an explosion bubbling up inside him, just growing and growing the more he pictured the way Naruto looked at him in that moment. Sasuke should have wanted to run the other direction, he _did_ want to run the other direction. All his basic instinct were telling him to run, to get away, to escape from those eyes before they pulled him up any farther into the light. But he couldn't. He couldn't make his body run away. His body wanted to see Naruto again, to be near him, to understand, _he needed to understand_.

If what Naruto insinuated was true, then he had to understand! And in order to understand he needed to be close to Naruto.

As he walked slowly down the hall towards the kitchen he heard Sakura call Naruto's name, and just that made his stomach flutter and feel as thought it was filled with lead. He had to stop and catch his breath as he listened in on what they were saying.

"Naruto!" She had yelled, half-amused, half-reproachful. "How is it possible for you to mess up slicing so bad? It's not even that hard!"

"Sorry Sakura-chan! You know I'm no good at cooking!"

Slowly, Sasuke entered the kitchen and almost instantly, the entire atmosphere changed. All three of his ex teammates stared at him in silent observation. Those eyes found Sasuke's and then looked away. The silence might have gone on indefinitely if the eldest hadn't decided to break it by saying simply,

"If I remember correctly, Sasuke was always much better at cooking than Naruto. Mostly due to his preference for foods that aren't limited to noodles in warm broth."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, recognizing an attack on his precious ramen and glaring playfully at Kakashi. Kakashi ignored him and asked lightly,

"Why doesn't Sasuke chop while Naruto stirs?"

With all eyes on him, Sasuke took a fragile step forward, and seemed to break some sort of spell over them. They relaxed as he went over to the counter and Naruto handed him the cutting board and knife, Sasuke trying very hard not to look up at Naruto when their hands brush. He noticed Sakura watching the exchange carefully and as soon as he began to cut the various vegetables, expel an obviously relieved breath.

Naruto moved around to the stove and began stirring while Sakura finished arranging the bouquet of flowers she had collected on their way up the path and put them in a nice vase in the middle of the dining room table. Sasuke saw Kakashi lean back against the kitchen counter and pull something out of his pocket. He looked up to see what Kakashi was reading then raised an eyebrow and asked,

"Haven't you read that a million times by now?"

Kakashi held up the book, feigning confusion. The words "Icha Icha Paradise" were written clear across the front, but the book didn't seem as old as it should have been.

"This?" Kakashi asked happily. "But this is the newest one!"

Sasuke frowned and noticed both Sakura and Naruto had tuned into the conversation. He thought they probably found it strange for him to be talking like that so easily. Frankly, even he found it odd, but he also noticed that it came naturally. The thing he found most strange was for their to be a new book when he was fairly positive they had been written by Jiraiya and...

"I thought Jiraiya was dead," he stated flatly, and noticed from the corner of his eye how Naruto's face darkened with pain at the mention of his deceased teacher. He also noticed that it bothered him for some reason.

Kakashi didn't seemed fazed and answered with a nod in Naruto's direction and a wink.

"It seems Jiraiya-sensei trained Naruto in more than just ninjutsu while he was still alive."

Sasuke turned to Naruto and saw him smile slightly beneath a light blush that was just beginning to dust his cheeks.

"I had to continue the legacy!" he said and turned away to stir the bubbling pot harder.

"Yeah," Sakura said under her breath so only Sasuke could hear, "the legacy of perverts..."

"And besides," Naruto added, not turning away from his boiling soup, "Pervy sensei always said I had a talent for it."

"Oh, you do! The use of detail and description you give is definitely an improvement on Jiraiya-sensei's work, and that is a hard thing to top! Especially when it comes to the scenes with-"

"K- Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto stuttered, turning around with wide eyes and a thoroughly embarrassed expression.

"I'm just saying you must have an excellent imagination, Naruto! Coming up with some of these more complicated scenarios and positions, like this one on page 394 where the female lead is laying backwards on the-"

"Aaah- Ah!" Naruto dropped the spoon he was using to stir the soup with a clatter and ran across the kitchen to throw his hand over Kakashi's masked face and cover his mouth so no more sound could come out. His face was really red then and Sasuke watched as Kakashi tried to free himself from Naruto's grasp, laughing along with Sakura the whole time. Finally the pot Naruto was supposed to be stirring began to boil over and Sakura had to run around the kitchen to hurry and take it off the burner. Naruto then had to apologize to her while she glared half-heartedly at him and made him go over the sink and wash off the spoon he had dropped.

"Sasuke, are those vegetables cut up yet?"

Sasuke had just finished chopping the carrots when she asked and he carried the cutting board over to the stove, handing it to her to dump into the pot. She smiled at him when she took it and for a moment it felt like old times. As the soup finished cooking, Sasuke quietly watched a bit off to the side as Naruto interacted with both Sakura and Kakashi.

He kept thinking about... well about everything, and mostly about Naruto. He liked watching Naruto. He was very expressive with everything he did, completely the opposite of Sasuke. Every few seconds the light would catch those bright blue eyes and he would remember how they looked just a few minutes ago, back in the bedroom.

Sasuke began to think that he needed to observe Naruto more, to figure out what he meant by those looks he gave Sasuke, and the silence that came with them. He needed to be sure before he could find the next thing to do. He needed to be sure.

Just as Sasuke thought that, something amazing happened.

He hadn't really been listening to what Sakura had been saying as she spoke to Naruto. He was too busy in his own mind to really concentrate on the real world, and it didn't even really matter what Sakura had said. All he knew was that Sakura must have said something truly great, because the thing that brought him out of his own mind and back to reality was Naruto's reaction to whatever it was Sakura had said.

Naruto had smiled.

This was not like any smile Sasuke had seen from Naruto since he'd been with him the past week or two. Naruto had been so stressed when they were traveling from place to place, and there hadn't been anything humorous about that situation. There were a few moments where Naruto had smiled, but only a half-smile, not the real, signature Naruto smile.

Not like this smile.

It spread across his face and lit... everything! Not just his eyes and face, but the whole room, the very air around him seemed brighter, clearer. This was a smile from Sasuke's memories, from his dreams. A real, genuine _Naruto_ smile.

Sasuke couldn't help but think that it was beautiful.

* * *

A little while later Sakura announced that the soup was finished and found four dusty bowls in the cabinets of the kitchen. After a quick wash she started pouring the soup into the bowls and telling the boys to come get them. Kakashi then mentioned that there was a long picnic table out on the back porch and it was a nice night out, so they might as well eat outside. Naruto and Sakura agreed and went out the large double doors onto the back porch, Sasuke following close behind.

He sat down on Sakura's right side as Naruto sat across from her on the opposite side of the table. All three of them turned around when they heard Kakashi exclaim happily from inside.

The next moment he poked his head out the door, holding up a bottle and looking mighty pleased about something.

"Bee put Sake in our food supplies!" He said as he walked out onto the porch and sat down next to Naruto, setting down his soup then placing the bottle in the middle of the table with four tiny cups beside it. "I think you guys are old enough to enjoy a little bit of alcohol."

Naruto seemed quite excited by this prospect and had Kakashi serve each of them a shot before anyone even started on their soup. Naruto downed his in a second then made a disgusted face, leading both Kakashi and Sakura to laugh as he scooped some soup onto his spoon to try and get the taste out of his mouth.

"It tastes better when it's heated, but not by much. Don't worry about it Naruto, it's just too strong for some people."

Naruto made a depressed face and Sasuke slowly brought the small cup up to his lips, drinking the intense liquid on one gulp. He had to agree with Naruto that the taste was not pleasant, but he resisted making a face and even held out his cup for Kakashi to pour more.

Naruto watched him and, as if they were still genin level rivals, held out his cup for another round as well. That went on for at least another two or three rounds until Naruto was buzzed enough to tease Sakura into trying it as well. She turned a nasty shade of green and had to run to the side of the porch and spit it up over the balcony. Kakashi threw his head back and and laughed even louder than Naruto who was starting to turn pink himself. Even Sasuke had to let out a low chuckle when Sakura turned around to face then and looked like she was going to be sick a second time.

When he laughed, Naruto turned towards him and their eyes met for a moment as they both slowed their laughter and eventually looked off in opposite directions. Sakura sat back down beside him and almost instantly rose back to her feet asking loudly,

"I'm getting some water, anyone else want some?"

"Yes, please Sakura-chaaaaan!" Naruto cooed, raising his hand like a child and smiling at her with drunken warmth.

"I'd like one too, if it isn't any trouble." Kakashi added. Sakura nodded and turned to Sasuke who just smiled lightly and gave her a nod, showing he would like some water too.

She went inside and brought out four glasses. Naruto downed his entire glass in one gulp, spilling some out of the corners of his mouth. Sasuke watched it drip down onto his black t-shirt as he slowly brought his own glass up to his lips.

After that, the four of them finally got around to eating the soup that was now thoroughly cooled off, only Kakashi still taking shots of the sake set in the middle of the table. The moon and stars above them didn't give quite enough light for them to eat by and halfway through his second bowl, Naruto stood to light the torches set up all around the porch.

Sasuke felt himself get a bit sleepy after finishing his first bowl and he slowly stood from the table, walking into the house. The others were so absorbed in a conversation they were having they didn't even question him, but he was sure at least Naruto noticed him leave. He quickly washed his bowl in the sink and placed it back in the cabinet then headed down the hallway towards the room he and Naruto were sharing.

He'd felt very tired, but the second he walked inside that room, he wasn't tired anymore. He glanced at Naruto's bed and the jacket still just lying there. The blankets were slightly rumpled from where Naruto had sat earlier that evening.

He still hadn't decided what to do. He didn't feel like running, and he felt even less like killing. Maybe the calm dinner had cooled off his emotions, made the whole scene from earlier seem less... whatever it was. Confusing? Shocking? Staggering to the point where Sasuke didn't even know if he was still in reality and not some tweaked-out genjutsu? Alright so maybe he was tired, at least physically. It had been a long day after all, and they'd practically climbed a whole mountain just to get to this cabin.

He heaved a sigh and began removing some of his clothes so he would be able to sleep more comfortably in an actual bed for the first time in a while. He took off his belt and the cloak tied around his waist and set them on the top of the dresser beneath the window, staring outside at the stars for a moment and running a hand through his hair with another tired sigh. He was about to get into the bed as he was but then decided to take off his shirt since it was a relatively warm night. He slipped it off his shoulders just as he heard clumsy footsteps coming down the hall outside the room. His back was facing the door but he turned his neck a bit and saw light coming from the hall as the door was opened and Naruto stumbled into the room.

For a moment Naruto just stared at Sasuke with wide eyes, then all of the sudden he turned away, laughing awkwardly and blushing way to much to be able to blame it all on the alcohol they'd both drunk earlier that night.

"A-ah, sorry Sasuke..."

He was about to go through the door again and leave but with the speed of a shinobi, Sasuke was across the room before Naruto even moved and slammed the door closed by backing Naruto into it and pressing his hand hard on the wooden planks. The loud slam echoed through the whole house but Sasuke didn't care. Naruto looked nervous under his gaze though he was just staring straight back with wide eyes.

"Why are you sorry?" Sasuke asked quickly. "We're both guys, aren't we? It's not like it's anything you haven't seen before, Naruto."

He heard someone rushing down the hallway outside and bang on the other side of the door. Sakura called out in a panicked voice,

"Naruto! Naruto are you okay? Is everything alright in there?"

Sasuke could hear her trying to turn the handle and open the door but he was pressing against it so hard it wouldn't budge. He just kept staring at Naruto until the blond cleared his throat and replied thickly, obviously trying his hardest to sound convincing.

"I- I'm fine, Sakura! Just- just closed the door too hard and it slammed and locked. Don't worry, you can go to bed."

She stopped banging and trying to open the door but didn't leave until she muttered, not sounding completely convinced.

"O-okay, Naruto. Good night. Er, you too Sasuke."

"Night!" Naruto said, and only Sasuke heard how his voice cracked.

"Good night, Sakura." Sasuke said smoothly, not taking his eyes off Naruto for a second.

They both heard her footsteps a second later when she walked back down the hallway and a door close as she entered her own room. The next moment, Naruto nudged Sasuke's arm out of the way and walked away from him and the door, facing the other direction so Sasuke couldn't see his face. He turned the lamp off so the only light in the room came from outside the window. Sasuke just stood at the door until it was clear Naruto wasn't going to reply, then he made his way to the bed and laid down as Naruto did the same, turning to face the wall and covering the blankets all the way up to his ears.

Sasuke just laid there and stared at his back silently. He kept picturing Naruto's blushing face when he'd walked in. Was _this_ what Naruto had meant earlier with that look? Sasuke could barely comprehend what he was thinking and he couldn't imagine what Naruto was thinking. He kept staring at Naruto's back, trying to find some answers, some clue to the puzzle that was Naruto Uzumaki.

And just when he was sure Naruto was asleep, he heard him quietly mutter from across the room,

"Can you stop staring at me?"

Sasuke was a bit surprised at first, then he just smirked in the darkness and replied,

"No."

He saw Naruto's chest expand and contract as he sighed heavily. He made a small noise like a half groan then, still facing away from Sasuke, said quietly,

"Don't you get it, Sasuke?" He turned around, glaring through lidded eyes at Sasuke as he whispered, "Don't you get it yet? If you do then- then stop staring!"

Sasuke did get it, at least a little bit. And he knew there was no way he was going to stop staring. Now Naruto was facing him and he could see those eyes, and he noticed how flushed Naruto's face was, and the way the blankets were bunched up where his hands were holding onto them far too tightly. Sasuke couldn't have stopped staring if he wanted to.

As if that thought somehow manifested, Sasuke's stare intensified. He saw Naruto gulp and shudder, his eyebrows nearly coming together for how deep the frown on his face was.

Neither of them would look away. They just continued staring at each other, mostly looking into each other's eyes. After a minute Sasuke began to feel light-headed. He blinked a few times and heard Naruto begin to breath in short, heavy rasps. He felt his heart rate go up and the air in the room seemed impossibly thin all of the sudden. Still he just stared at Naruto and watched as Naruto bit his lip and squirmed underneath the blankets. Sasuke clenched his jaw and fists and realized that something was happening to him, something was happening to his body. He didn't know what it was but it was happening to Naruto too. And the longer they stared the more intense it became.

The room was swimming and Naruto's gasps sounded unnaturally loud and it was all coming to a peak, and he didn't know what it was but it was controlling him, his body, his voice, his vision, all of him. On the other side of the room he saw Naruto close his eyes shut tight and a second later he had to close his eyes too, some force was closing his eyes for him and he couldn't breath, he couldn't breath at all. It just felt like there was nothing inside or outside his body, then he heard Naruto whisper his name, and his eyes shot open. He was still lying on the bed, his head resting peacefully on the pillow, and Naruto looked just the same except his face was incredibly flushed and he seemed very tired all of the sudden. Sasuke thought that he probably looked similar. He couldn't believe what merely _staring_ at Naruto had just done to him, to both of them.

He saw Naruto's lips twitch and could tell the blond was just about to fall asleep, his eyes already drooping and fluttering closed. With a tiny smile that faded a moment later, Naruto said so softly that Sasuke barely believed he heard it,

"Teme..."

Suddenly Sasuke felt just as tired as Naruto was. He struggled to keep his eyes open as a smile curled the corners of his lips and he replied the only way he knew how,

"Dobe."

Just before his eyes closed shut and the world faded from his consciousness, he saw Naruto smile again. Naruto had the best smile.

* * *

When Sasuke awoke the next day he had a horrible hang over. His head felt like it weighed about 80 pounds and he didn't want to open his eyes. Then he remembered what the view would be if he were to open his eyes and they shot open the next second expecting to see blond hair and the whisker-adorned face of Naruto Uzumaki, just like he'd seen the moment before he'd fallen asleep the night before.

As soon as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight coming in through the one window, Sasuke Uchiha found that there was no blond hair nor any whiskers to greet him that morning. It was a shame, because Sasuke had really wanted another look at that smile.

Why hadn't he realized it before now? Naruto's smile was the best smile in existence. He frowned, realizing that maybe he had noticed it before, but maybe it had had a different effect on him then. He had probably always thought of Naruto's smile darkly, negatively. He'd thought of it as if Naruto's life was just so great he could afford to smile so, so exuberantly, when Sasuke had nothing to smile about. He'd probably hated Naruto's smile most of all.

But Sasuke was _tired_ of feeling sorry for himself, and he was done with revenge. He liked Naruto's smile now, in fact, that was just one of the things he liked about Naruto now.

That was the moment when Sasuke first began to notice his obsession with Naruto, but of course he didn't think of it as an obsession. Sasuke just thought that he wanted to know where Naruto was, so he got out of bed and threw on his shirt, opening the door and walking into the hallway.

That was when he realized that it wasn't morning at all. He'd slept until past 1 at least. No wonder Naruto had woken up before he had. He must have been more tired than he first thought.

When he entered the living room he saw Kakashi sitting across the longest cough, relaxed and reading his book. He looked up when Sasuke entered and said cheerfully,

"Sasuke, glad to see you're finally awake."

Sakura's head suddenly popped out around a corner from the kitchen.

"There you are! I was beginning to get worried. Here, there's some food if you're hungry and I need to do one last checkup on your wounds, though I think they should be mostly healed by now."

"Yeah," he replied, sitting down on a large chair in the living room. "The only thing that hurts is my head from that sake last night. Can you do something about that?"

He saw her roll her eyes and mutter something about boy's and their alcohol, then bite her tongue as she remembered her old master's bad habit. Tsunade was a worse drunk than anyone. After a minute she came into the living room and handed him some tea she said would help sooth his hangover.

All this time Sasuke was trying very hard to not to ask where Naruto was. He was sure he'd gone somewhere otherwise he'd have seen him already. He hoped he'd be back soon, mostly because he wanted to see him, but also because it wasn't exactly comfortable just with Kakashi and Sakura. Though she seemed like she was trying to be nice, she still looked angrily at him every now and then. Kakashi was worse, just staring at him from across the room as he drank his coffee slowly.

"I think I'm going to go pick some more flowers," Sakura announced suddenly. "It's such a nice day after all. Kakashi-sensei will, will everything be alright here?"

Sasuke turned the other way as Kakashi smiled and replied,

"Yes, Sakura. No need to worry. Have a nice time."

She smiled and nodded then Sasuke heard the front door close as she left him sitting alone in the large cabin with Kakashi still staring at him with that unreadable expression. After a minute in which Sasuke was really beginning to wonder where Naruto was, Kakashi spoke up softly and Sasuke had to turn to him as he said,

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke... I think we should talk."

"Yeah?" Sasuke said cautiously, sipping his coffee to try and keep things casual. "About what?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Oh, nothing big." Sasuke frowned. Kakashi always had a way of saying something that should have been important in a bored tone of voice as if he were detached from it. He kept staring at Sasuke and Sasuke didn't like it. He wished Sakura hadn't left.

"I'd like to talk about Naruto."

"What about him?"

"What do you think of him?"

"Where is he?" Sasuke asked, deflecting Kakashi's question because it made a billion other questions bubble up in Sasuke chest that he didn't want to think about, that he just wanted to ignore because they confused him too much.

"He went into town to get supplies this morning. He should be back in a bit. You didn't answer my question."

"Why do you want to know?" Sasuke countered darkly.

Kakashi sighed and laid back on the couch, closing his book and placing it carefully in his back pocket.

"Naruto is very special," he began lightly. "A lot of people care about him very much, including Sakura and I. We've known him for a very long time and both of us can tell something is wrong with him. Now I'm going to be honest right now and admit that part of me agreed, and still does, with Shikamaru's original plan, which was of course-"

"To kill me." Sasuke said flatly. Kakashi glanced at him and smiled, trying to keep the conversation light although it obviously wasn't that kind of conversation.

"Yes. To kill you. I'm not saying I completely agreed with that plan, but part of me did. The part of me that cares very deeply about Naruto. And also the part of me that really doesn't trust you at all."

He paused and they stared at each other for some time. Sasuke wasn't surprised when Kakashi admitted this. He'd known Kakashi didn't trust him, and he understood why, but Kakashi went on to explain it clearly anyway.

"The last time we met you said that you were, 'dying to kill me.' That's the kind of thing that hurts a person, you know? That was when I realized that you were barely even human anymore, much less the Sasuke I had known before. I understand that things may have changed since then, but trust is not such an easy thing to earn back."

He suddenly fixed Sasuke with a straight forward gaze and said clearly, no longer in the light, relaxed tone of voice he'd been using before,

"You are a threat to Naruto, and I don't like that."

Sasuke swallowed. It wasn't that he was afraid of Kakashi. In fact he was positive was stronger than Kakashi, but something about the way he'd spoken was intimidating. Sasuke felt as if he were in front of an overly protective father and being put on trial for doing something bad.

"Over the years i've become rather protective of Naruto. I'm not the only one either. If you do anything to hurt him there will be no place to run, and no place to hide, because I will find you, and I won't just kill you, Sasuke." Sasuke heard clearly the extent of what was being threatened, and Kakashi went on.

"I don't trust you, but Naruto does. I'm not blind. There's something going on between you two, and I will not do anything to stop it, but if you are anywhere near as intelligent as you once were you will listen to my warning and take it to heart. Are we clear, Sasuke?"

Sasuke could do nothing but nod and close his eyes, bringing the coffee cup silently up to his lips and taking a long, slow sip. When he opened his eyes, Kakashi had taken out his book again and was relaxing against the side of the sofa. Sasuke slowly stood to go outside and just as an added afterthought, Kakashi said brightly,

"Oh, but I _would_ watch out for Sakura though. She will not be as understanding as I might be."

Sasuke was sure he heard a low chuckle and saw a smug smile on Kakashi's face before he stepped out onto the porch into the bright sunlight and soft breeze.

Kakashi had given him even more to think about than he'd had before. He was about to sit down at the table on the back porch but then stopped and decided to go around to the front porch and sit on the swinging bench hanging there. That way he would see when Naruto was coming up the hill. He felt like he needed to see Naruto as soon as possible. Hearing Kakashi talk about the last time they'd met made Sasuke think about that time even more. It made him remember something interesting and made the desire to see Naruto even stronger.

As he sat on the bench and finished his coffee daydreaming about what had happened between them the night before. Just thinking about it made him shiver. He still didn't know what it was that made the both of them react the way they did. They'd barely said two words to each other, they had just been looking at one another.

About an hour after he went outside to wait, Sasuke saw something bright orange coming just over the hill. A small smile appeared on his face when he saw Naruto coming closer carrying all kinds of bags. Then Sasuke noticed that he seemed to be arguing with someone and he narrowed his eyes to try and figure out who it could be.

A second later Naruto came in better view and he saw that Naruto was, of course, arguing with one of his clones who was holding about twice as many bags as the first Naruto was. A minute later Sasuke could hear bits and pieces of their loud conversation.

"...Don't see why _I_ have to carry so much, _he_ only has three bags!"

"Oh shut up, we're almost there!" The first Naruto replied grouchily. Sasuke figured that was probably the real Naruto.

A second later that first Naruto looked ahead of him and noticed Sasuke standing on the front porch. He all but stopped in his tracks, quickly shaking himself to pull himself together and trying to make his pause look like a stumble. Sasuke stepped off the porch to meet the first Naruto.

It was clear Naruto was avoiding his gaze, but Sasuke couldn't really blame him.

"Want some help?" he asked, holding out a hand for Naruto to put a bag or two into.

"Sure," Naruto said brightly as the other three or four clones made their way up the stairs and into the house, throwing Sasuke a few curious glances as they went. With the bags in hand, Sasuke started up the stairs with Naruto beside him. Naruto obviously found the quiet uncomfortable so he started conversation.

"Er, how did you know this was the real me and not a clone? Or... did you even know?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It was just a guess. You were at the front."

"Oh," Naruto smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, that makes sense!"

They made their way into the living room and connecting kitchen and set down the bags as the Naruto clones stretched before Naruto made a hand sign and dispelled them before they could cause any trouble.

"Wouldn't expect anything else from Naruto the Copy ninja." Kakashi said from his seat on the couch as he smiled at Naruto fondly. Naruto smiled back then looked around and asked,

"Where's Sakura?"

"She went to pick flowers since it's such a nice day," Kakashi replied. "She should be back soon."

"Okay," Naruto said simply and collapsed into a chair in the living room. "This mountain is steeper than it looks."

Kakashi chuckled and Sasuke took the seat next to Naruto. A moment later the front door opened and Sakura walked into the kitchen with her arms full of flowers. Naruto jumped up to help her put them in a few different vases as she smiled and thanked him, then looked around and was happy that he'd gotten so many supplies.

Sasuke watched the whole thing and practically glared every time Sakura smiled at Naruto, hating it even more when Naruto smiled back. That was the moment Sasuke made up his mind. He knew what he was going to do. It was almost like instinct made up his mind for him.

Almost like he had no choice.

* * *

**Over-protective Kakashi is the best. I loved writing him like that. Don't you dare hurt Naruto, Sasuke! I have a special surprise for you guys today. Teehee!**

**KeikoPanda102**


	6. Part five and a half!

**Bonus chapter! Surprise! XD

* * *

**

Part 5 1/2:

Naruto thought himself very lucky to have woken up before Sasuke the next morning. It wasn't as though he didn't want to have to talk to Sasuke, well, okay maybe that was part of it.

He didn't like to admit it but he was afraid. Naruto couldn't even begin to understand what the hell had happened to him the night before. He was worse off than Sasuke was. He was afraid of having to confront Sasuke because he didn't know how Sasuke was going to react. It was something he'd been worrying about practically since they'd stopped Shikamaru from killing Sasuke in the first place. He knew he would have to eventually tell Sasuke why he was doing all of this for him, and he had gotten that part out of the way, but then came the much harder part.

Naruto still wasn't entirely sure about his feelings, so how could he expect Sasuke to understand them when he didn't understand them himself?

He knew he couldn't avoid Sasuke like he had been doing while they were traveling, but that didn't mean he couldn't try! Waking up before Sasuke did, although it meant addressing his awful hang over sooner rather than later, also meant he could address Sasuke later, rather than sooner.

Another benefit of waking up before Sasuke was, well, so he could watch him.

Naruto Uzumaki would love to simply stare at Sasuke, to see him, to take in everything that he was just because he's there and Naruto could not get enough of him. Naruto had been struggling horribly against the desire to look at Sasuke for the longest time when they were traveling.

He knew that he couldn't keep looking at Sasuke, not when he was so mixed up and choked up about everything that had happened and the choices he'd made and especially, _especially, _why he'd made them. He had to make sure he didn't look at Sasuke for all that time even though he really, really, really wanted to.

So, after waking up, Naruto glanced over at Sasuke still sleeping in the exact same position he'd fallen asleep in. A chill flew up Naruto's spine remembering the night before but he just wrote it off as the morning chill.

Naruto sat on the floor beside Sasuke's bed and just rested there, looking at Sasuke's face because now he finally could. There wasn't any risk with looking at Sasuke now. He was asleep, and so Naruto could look at him all he wanted, could look until he had his fill. But Naruto didn't think he'd ever be full of looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke's skin was pale, but not unnaturally white like Sai's, just a porcelain skin tone that complemented the blue-black hair that fell onto the pillow and around his equally dark eyelashes. His hair looked very soft and Naruto had the strangest desire to reach out and touch it, a desire he had to reign in very strongly with a silent reprimand towards himself.

_Naruto what the hell are you doing?_ he asked himself, shaking his head as he glanced along Sasuke's long neck tentatively. He swallowed when he saw jutting collarbones that led down to Sasuke's chest.

Naruto remembered how close Sasuke's skin had been to him the night before when Sasuke had pinned him against the door. The memory was a bit fuzzy from the alcohol, but he hadn't forgotten it completely. He'd almost lost it right then and there. What Sasuke had said...

_"What are you sorry for, Naruto? We're both guys, aren't we? It's not like it's anything you haven't seen before."_

Naruto shook his head hard to dispel those words. Even he didn't understand. How could he answer questions like that when even he didn't understand. He stood suddenly and with one last glance at Sasuke still peacefully asleep, walked out the door and down the hall. He was a bit startled to see Kakashi sitting in the living room reading to himself so early in the morning. When he entered Kakashi looked up and smiled.

"Morning, Naruto! Did you sleep well?"

Naruto gave him a shaky smile in return and Kakashi raised an eyebrow, then put his book down on the table and sighed.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to talk about it, Naruto?"

"Talk about what Kakashi-sensei?" Though he faked calm on the outside, Naruto began to panic on the inside.

Kakashi just stared at him, and Naruto felt uncomfortable. He'd never liked that gaze, that one gray eye just looking at him so searchingly, like he already knew everything and only ever asked questions to be polite. Naruto closed his eyes and took a step back.

"I- I think I'm gonna go down to the village today and get some more supplies. Tell Sakura where I went when she wakes up, okay?"

"Sasuke as well?" Kakashi asked lightly.

"Uh, ah, yeah. Alright, I'm just gonna go now."

"Wait, before you go you should take this." Naruto stopped and looked at Kakashi's hand which was held out to him. There was a pouch, presumably filled with money, and Naruto smiled, taking it and stowing it in his pocket along with the money still left from what Sasuke had let them use.

"I brought it with me from the Leaf, just in case."

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei!"

With that, Naruto headed out the door. As soon as he felt the cool mountain breeze he relaxed. He knew Kakashi knew that something was up with him, but that wasn't the only reason he wanted to get out of the house. Sasuke made him feel so confused and... strange. And he didn't know what to do, or even what to think when Sasuke was there.

And he was afraid. He was really, really afraid that Sasuke would-

Well... he wasn't quite sure what Sasuke might do, but that was what scared him. He just wanted a day to get away, and this was as good a chance as any. They would need more supplies eventually anyway, Killer Bee had only really given them enough for one large meal. They had leftover soup, but that would only last so long.

As it turned out, going downhill was a lot faster than going uphill, and as nice as the day was, Naruto wasn't looking forward to lugging back a bunch of groceries up this steep mountain when he went back, but he would face that when he came to it. He reached the village before noon and went around the many venders and vegetable carts, striking deals and bargaining to the best of his ability. Everyone in the village noticed him, and he quickly became friends with most of them. One little girl, about 5 years old, with two ponytails and a bandana, followed him around the whole marketplace. He kept pretending not to see her and then glancing her way and making her hide and giggle. He smiled happily even when he mother came and found her and apologized for her daughter bothering him, to which he explained he didn't mind at all.

In the afternoon he found that he was hungry and walked into a pub-like restaurant filled with big burly sailor men. That was when he remembered that this was a port town, so men like this were probably pretty common. There didn't seem to be any shinobi but that wasn't very strange as ninja mostly stay in their particular villages unless sent out on missions.

He got into a game of dice with a few of them and after loosing only three times, quit. The men were all quite nice to him, patting him on the head and telling the bartender to order him a large beer. Naruto then had to explain his experience with alcohol and politely refuse their kind offer.

When a few of the men he'd become friends with started talking amongst themselves about women, Naruto smiled wide, having had a bright idea.

"Wanna see something great?" he smiled slyly.

The men glanced at each other a bit then nodded, obviously intrigued. Naruto made a few quick hands signs and all of the sudden the pub was filled with replicas of his female self, all blowing kisses as smoke swirled around them and the men gawked and cheered.

"So you're one of those shinobi, then? You don't have one of those headbands, so I couldn't tell," one of the men, a big guy with a soft voice, said thoughtfully.

Naruto frowned a bit. He hadn't realized that he left his forehead protector behind. He touched his forehead and it felt empty somehow. He looked away and realized that it was probably for the best, considering he wasn't really a Leaf shinobi anymore.

"This is one neat trick, kid!" Another of the sailor men yelled over the ruckus as a few of the men tried to grab the Naruto clones and they vanished in puffs of smoke after squealing girlishly a bit. "Where'd you learn this?"

"I came up with it myself!" Naruto bragged proudly, making another hand sign and changing himself into a girl too. "I call it the Sexy jutsu, and when there's a lot of them, the Harem jutsu!"

"It sure is sexy!" A tall, gangly sailor yelled, then promptly fell over with a heavy nosebleed. The rest of the bar laughed as he tried to stem the flow of blood.

Naruto laughed along too, then looked down at himself thoughtfully. There were the big boobs and the long hair and the nice hips, all perfectly constructed to be as the sailor said, sexy.

_Is this really sexy? _He found himself asking, dispelling the jutsu to a chorus of groans and boos.

As he sat down and finished eating the lunch of fish and rice he'd bought himself, he tried to figure out why he didn't think his sexy jutsu was all that sexy anymore. Well, wait. That was wrong. He still thought his sexy jutsu girl, and all hot girls he saw, were sexy, but now there was something else, something even deeper, but what was it exactly? What did he think was sexy now, and what had changed?

Slowly an image formed in his mind. Dark pools of black against crystal skin. Then all of the sudden those pools turned blood red and then spun, drawing him in deeper. And then the image in his minds eye changed and he saw toned back muscles flexing in the moonlight, and a broad chest, and it was Sasuke, Sasuke was standing there staring at him and even the image in his mind made him shiver. Then he heard Sasuke's voice and it sounded like it came from somewhere just beside his ear and he flinched automatically and he felt cold all of the sudden, so cold. And then a memory sprung into his mind, and at first he didn't understand, because it was just a memory of him fighting Sasuke, but slowly it began to make sense. Their fists crashed into each other, each blow coming harder and faster until they blurred together and Naruto felt himself falling and falling and then black.

And he opened his eyes, not even knowing when he'd closed them to begin with, and he sunk low in his seat as he thought morosely to himself, _so that's what I think is sexy now...?_

The rest of his trip into the village was no where near as enjoyable as the first part had been. He smiled and waved at the people he'd met as he walked, loaded down with a ton of bags of food and other necessities, away from the village and down the thin road. He was too caught up in his thoughts to do much else than walk straight. After dropping a few things more than once he came up with the brilliant idea of creating a few clones to help him out.

Naruto wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now, but he just kept walking forward up the mountain, knowing full-well what he would have to face when he reached the top or better yet, _who_ he would have to face.

But Naruto Uzumaki is no coward.

Fear is natural. Fear is necessary. Being afraid means you are human and doesn't mean you are not brave.

Naruto sighed and held his head high, thinking that although he was afraid, everything would surely work out in the end.

It always did.

* * *

**Well that was cute, wasn't it? Ah, I just felt like putting in a little from Naruto's POV. It wasn't really necessary, just fun, and I was inspired. That's why it's just a half-chapter not a real chapter, plus its kinda short. Tell me how you guys liked it!**

**I usually hate writing from Naruto's POV because I love him and I want to do him justice and keep him in character but it's hard, and I feel like Sasuke's easier. Anyway I tried my hardest with this and I think it's just short enough so I didn't make too many characterization mistakes. If you notice anytime he seems OOC please tell me! :3**

**KeikoPanda102**


	7. Part 6

Part 6:

The second night at Killer Bee's cabin started out a lot like the first. Sakura made a nice meal with the supplies Naruto brought back from his trip into the village as both he and Sasuke helped around the kitchen and Kakashi stayed off to the side making random comments and teasing Naruto any chance he got. Around the dinner table they told stories of how it used to be when they were still team seven. It was nostalgic for each of them though Kakashi said it just made him feel old. He couldn't believe how much they'd all grown.

The mood was nice but Sasuke felt like it was covering up the fact that so many things had actually changed over the years, much more than just the way they looked. Things had been broken between each of them, all Sasuke's doing. He still felt the guilt like a fresh wound if the conversation started to veer off track and remind any of them that they weren't team seven anymore. They were banished ninja living temporarily in a cabin away from all their friends and comrades. No one mentioned that this situation couldn't last forever, but it was known by each of them. There was a general consensus that they would figure out what to next when the time came, and until then they would enjoy the cabin and the luxuries, and securities, it provided.

The later into the night it got, the less cheery they all seemed. Sasuke caught Naruto looking off into the distance after they'd moved inside once it started raining. He was wearing that same expression of pain and distress that Sasuke hated seeing so much. Sasuke couldn't really say anything, just stare, but he wanted to say something. He wanted Naruto to look at him like he had the night before and he wanted Naruto to stop looking so sad all the time. He wanted Naruto's smile.

After a while, Sakura fell asleep onto Naruto's shoulder and he shook himself out of his daze, turning to look at her with surprise. He smiled when he saw her head loll as he moved his shoulder.

Sasuke frowned. He didn't want Naruto to smile at someone else. He wanted Naruto to smile at him, only at him.

Kakashi laughed when he noticed Sakura and stood as he said,

"I'll take her to her bed, then I think I'm going to go to sleep too. Night Sasuke, Naruto."

"Night Kakashi-sensei," Naruto replied with a yawn.

Kakashi picked Sakura up gently and carried her to her room, then made his way up the narrow staircase to his room on the top floor. Sasuke realized that this cabin also had a basement that he'd never bothered to go down into but at that moment that was the last thing he wanted to do.

It was clear that Naruto was trying not to look at him. He kept glancing his way as they sat across from each other in the living room. Sasuke could hear rain bouncing off the roof and deck as he arched an elegant black eyebrow and asked harmlessly,

"I suppose we should go to bed too?"

It took Naruto a moment to process what he'd asked, but once he did, he reacted in a way Sasuke hadn't at all predicted.

Naruto's entire face grew red as a tomato and his eyes shot wide open as he gawked at Sasuke from across the room. At first Sasuke was confused at Naruto's reaction, then he realized what he'd said. He smiled as he watched Naruto gape his mouth open and closed, trying to form words with nothing coming out. The more he thought about it the funnier the whole situation, especially Naruto's reaction, seemed. Sasuke started to laugh, to actually laugh. It wasn't a hateful laugh or a mean snicker, but a real laugh because it was funny.

Naruto almost stopped being embarrassed because he was so amazed by what he was seeing. Sasuke was laughing! Sure it wasn't as exuberant as _his_ laugh but hey, his laugh was hard to top. Seeing Sasuke laugh at all was like a dream.

"Dobe," Sasuke finally said, still chuckling a bit. "I didn't mean it that way."

_So even he's conscious of it,_ Sasuke found himself thinking happily. _Interesting..._

"Oh," Naruto replied, then quickly turned away, fighting back the pain that was threatening to claw out his heart. "Yeah, sorry."

Suddenly Sasuke didn't find anything funny anymore, because Naruto was looking away from him sadly and he knew he'd messed up. Naruto stood swiftly from the sofa and started walking down the hall towards their bedroom.

"Naruto," Sasuke cursed silently at himself, quickly understanding the mistake he'd made. "Wait!"

He grabbed a hold of Naruto's shoulder and made him turn around. Naruto just shook his head and tried to turn around again, mumbling something about understanding and him being stupid and Sasuke had to push him up against the wall for him to stop and look at him. Sasuke stared into wide blue eyes that weren't yet overflowing with tears but looked very capable of doing just that any second.

"I didn't mean it like that. I wasn't laughing at you because of that I was laughing because your reaction was funny."

"But you know!" Naruto choked out, pushing Sasuke away from him with more force than a normal person would have been able to take. "You know how I feel and when you said that, I misunderstood-"

"I don't know how you feel," Sasuke said flatly as his chest rose and fell in time to Naruto's. Naruto stared at him, confused. "You never said it, so I don't know."

"Don't joke around, Sasuke! You know!" Naruto tried to whisper, realizing that only a wall was separating them from Sakura's room where she was hopefully still sleeping after all the noise they'd already made.

"Why won't you say it then?" Sasuke accused. "And even if I do know, I don't know _why_, and I **need** to know _why,_ Naruto. _Why_?"

Sasuke was breathing shallow and he'd fixed Naruto with his deepest gaze. He couldn't believe what he was doing. He couldn't think straight and his mind was turning all over the place and all he could see was Naruto. Just Naruto.

Naruto looked up at him angrily, breathing through his nose as he ground his teeth together inside his mouth. After a minute he couldn't take looking at Sasuke anymore. He turned away and said in a frustrated hush,

"What if I don't know why?" He glanced at Sasuke again and held his ground. "Because I don't. I don't know why, but it's just the way it is."

"That's not good enough, Naruto. What if I said that I felt the same way and I didn't know why either? Wouldn't you want to know why? Don't you want to know _why_?"

Naruto spun his head to look at Sasuke. He seemed very confused and Sasuke felt the same. They both wanted answers but neither of them knew how to convey how they felt. There was something stopping them.

Suddenly a thought occurred to Sasuke. It was so random he thought for a moment he was going insane, but then he thought about it some more and it made sense. It must have shown on his face that he had realized something because Naruto gave him a curious look. Sasuke took a step forward, closer to Naruto. Naruto's eyes widened and he backed into the wall defensively.

"Naruto, I think we do know why."

"But I just said I don't-"

"We know why but we just can't say it. Naruto," Sasuke took another step closer to Naruto, leaning forward as Naruto stared transfixed at him, breathing heavily and looking as though Sasuke were about to do something horrible to him. He looked positively terrified. Sasuke understood how he felt. He was scared too. But the more terrified he was, the stronger the desire for Naruto became until he was leaning only inches away from Naruto's face.

"You once told me that we aren't good at communicating with our words. You said we understand each other best with our bodies."

He tilted his head and began closing his eyes, leaning forward agonizingly slow as Naruto's breathing became faster and faster and he tried to get the wall behind him to suck him in for fear of the whole thing. Sasuke's mouth was parted only the tiniest bit and when he spoke it was so low Naruto could barely hear what he said, though the voice alone sent shivers down his spine,

"I think..." Sasuke could feel the warmth of Naruto's skin so close to his lips. "You may have been..." He could smell Naruto's scent. Naruto smelled like the sun, and water, and ramen. He closed his eyes and let instinct guide him the rest of the distance.

"Right."

As he breathed that last word he pressed his lips hard onto Naruto's and finally, finally... _he understood._

And the great, beautiful, wonderful thing was that Naruto understood too, and the second Sasuke's lips touched his, he responded the only way he could have; he kissed Sasuke back.

And neither of them had to say anything else because they were talking with their bodies just like Sasuke had said. The first kiss was Sasuke's silent declaration of the words he couldn't say aloud, but Naruto understood them perfectly.

_I love you, Naruto._

And when Naruto kissed him back, fisting his hands in Sasuke's hair fiercely, he heard Naruto's reply loud and clear even if he hadn't uttered a single word.

_I love you, Sasuke._

But it was more than that to Sasuke. What Sasuke heard as he cupped Naruto's face in his hands and pressed their mouths together with a desperate need he just couldn't satisfy no matter how hard he tried was, _Sasuke, I love you. I won't ever love anyone but you and I _need_ you Sasuke. _

And when Naruto opened his mouth just a bit, allowing Sasuke's tongue to enter as a needy groan escaped his throat, Sasuke replied in their strange, primal communication,

_I'm sorry it took so long._

And then they couldn't breath, and they didn't want to breath and Sasuke had never felt something so strongly in his entire life. His entire body was on fire and the way Naruto kissed him was like a dream and he was quickly loosing his mind and he knew Naruto was too, but he didn't care, and Naruto didn't care. He couldn't get enough of Naruto, he wanted to drown in Naruto and he knew right then that he wouldn't ever need anything but Naruto ever again. Nothing mattered but touching him and kissing him and _oh, oh, oh, he was so turned on!_

They broke their lips apart and colors swam before his eyes and he his head throbbed from lack of oxygen and he could hear Naruto breathing like he was about to die and these were his last breaths. But even better he felt Naruto's chest rising and falling, pressed against his chest, their hearts so close to one another they began to sync beats until Sasuke wasn't sure which was his pulse and which was Naruto's. His vision finally relaxed enough so he could look at Naruto and see him there pushed up against the wall and for a moment Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. Naruto was flushed with color and his eyes were closed with just a bit of water squeezing out from the sides. His mouth was hanging open and his lips looked raw and soft and so inviting and Sasuke wasn't thinking with his head anymore and he grabbed Naruto's hand in a flash and pulled him away from the wall, down the hall to their bedroom and threw him inside.

And as soon as he shut the door and turned around he saw Naruto staring at him with those heart-wrenchingly blue eyes and a seductive smile on his face, and Sasuke couldn't move. He watched as Naruto slowly peeled off his shirt and stood in the center of the room breathing heavily as Sasuke finally got control over his body and tore his shirt off too, stepping towards Naruto and smirking at him. Naruto's eyes fluttered and he looked down. He couldn't handle the way Sasuke stared at him like that.

Then Sasuke reached his hand forward and tentatively pressed one of the hard nipples on Naruto's chest, and Naruto cried out, arching his back and gripping the fabric of his pants. And Sasuke couldn't think again, Naruto kept making him incapable of rational thought, and he sprung forward and was kissing those perfect lips again, pressing his hands onto the back of Naruto's head and neck, guiding the kiss and dominating automatically as Naruto's body melted into his with a whimper of desire.

And then Naruto bucked his hips and shuddered in Sasuke's arms and before Sasuke even knew what he was doing he grabbed Naruto's wrist and was guiding Naruto's hand down to his groin as he moved his other hand towards the hot bulge in Naruto's pants. And he couldn't stop himself from groaning against Naruto's skin when he felt pressure finally reach the hottest part of his body, and he was gripping Naruto's wrist so tightly as his other hand rubbed between Naruto's legs. Naruto shivered and Sasuke felt him stumble forward as his legs turned to jelly, and Sasuke couldn't take it anymore and he pressed Naruto back against the wall and lifted him up by moving one of his knees in between Naruto's legs, thrusting his hips and grinding against Naruto's leg at the same time.

Naruto let out a low groan as Sasuke felt arms wrapping around his back and holding onto him tightly. Sasuke's hands were holding Naruto up and pressing him back against he wall as Sasuke bent forward and locked his lips onto the skin at Naruto's neck. And he was biting and sucking that skin as he rocked his hips and moved his knee in an animalistic rhythm, the friction driving everything but Naruto out of his mind and the choked gasps Naruto kept emitting at every thrust and the taste of that skin beneath his lips.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke," Naruto cried and Sasuke looked up and roughly kissed Naruto's already bruised lips briefly before pulling away and pressing his forehead against Naruto's and closing his eyes.

He didn't even feel how deeply Naruto's fingers were digging into his shoulder's and neck because Sasuke was gone, his teeth clenched together as he ground down onto Naruto's leg and Naruto arched his back away from the wall pressing himself onto Sasuke's leg. His teeth and eyes were both clenched tightly shut like he was in pain as they both felt the first wave of pleasure wash over them.

Then like the release of a huge stored amount of momentum as though skidding to a halt, it just kept coming, and the seconds seemed to go on forever. Naruto opened his mouth as Sasuke kept their foreheads pressed firmly together and let out choked little sounds that were so much more intense than screams would have been while they rode out the pleasure together, all the while silently communicating the same three words over and over and over because it was all they could do to keep from going under because in those few seconds they were so close, so close they felt like they could have died.

And finally when it was over they slid to the floor and everything seemed perfect. Sasuke bent forward and caught Naruto's lips once more, but something was different this time. Sasuke frowned and opened his eyes to see Naruto turn away from him. He didn't _look_ upset. He looked exhausted and relieved but when Sasuke had kissed him he hadn't heard _I love you,_ he'd heard something else. It bothered him, so he went in for another kiss.

Naruto didn't kiss him back.

Sasuke kissed him again, and again, and again, frantically, rapidly, and he knew Naruto could hear his panic although he didn't say it out loud, and Naruto wouldn't look in his eyes. And Sasuke started to feel sick because Naruto's emotions were beginning to seep into his consciousness with every kiss and Sasuke didn't like what he was hearing.

It wasn't very clear but the tone of what Naruto was feeling was painful and depressed. He wasn't feeling regret and he wasn't feeling shame and he seemed to still feel every bit of the love for Sasuke he'd felt at that first kiss, but there was something else now.

Sasuke slowly retreated but the feelings kept coming and coming and they were forming into something solid and NO! Sasuke didn't want to hear it! He closed his eyes and shook his head because the pain was too much, Naruto's pain was too much for him to handle. He couldn't escape it because those kisses had let it inside him and as much as he fought it he knew what Naruto was trying to say. Naruto didn't need to say it out loud, but he did anyway.

"Why did you leave me?"

Sasuke covered his mouth and shook his head. He couldn't look at Naruto, couldn't see the pain in those beautiful blue eyes and _no, what if he was crying?_

And Sasuke couldn't handle it because he knew it was his fault. All of Naruto's pain was his fault and the guilt he'd been feeling before came to a terrible peak but he didn't know what to do but to run. So he opened their bedroom door and closed it behind him, leaning onto it as he stood in the hallway breathing heavily because his heart was hurting so much. That was where the guilt hit hardest, his heart. And after a minute the pain started to settle because Naruto wasn't in front of him anymore, staring at him, silently screaming that question at him. That question that hurt both of them so much and that Sasuke couldn't answer yet, not yet, not in that moment.

Sasuke walked down the hall and collapsed on the couch in the living room. It wasn't raining any longer but water dripped down from the roof and balcony. The water droplets slowly dulled the pain he'd felt only moments before and he was content. He was glad to know that Naruto was right down the hall because he didn't want to be far from Naruto, he never wanted to be far from him again, but being so close still hurt because he knew Naruto hurt and the fact that he'd just left probably made him hurt worse. And Sasuke had to close his eyes and force himself to sleep because if he didn't sleep he would have just heard Naruto's voice asking that same question over and over again clearly in his mind.

* * *

Kakashi was the first one awake again the next morning. He raised his eyebrow when he saw Sasuke sleeping on the couch in the living room, intrigued. After getting a glass of water he stood at the edge of the couch beside where Sasuke's head was resting on a small pillow and cleared his throat, effectively waking Sasuke up.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked up into Kakashi's smiling face. He scowled and closed his eyes, exhaling a low groan of air. He opened his eyes again and Kakashi was still there smiling down at him.

"I fell asleep here, that's all."

"Of course," Kakashi replied earnestly. "Why else would you willingly sleep on the couch?"

Sasuke glared and sat up. When he felt something weird on the lower half of his body he froze and bit his lip. As he stood up and walked to the bathroom to take a long, hot shower he felt the beginnings of a rather nasty headache forming that was not helped by Kakashi smiling at him like that before he slammed the bathroom door closed and started to undress.

When he got out of the shower he realized he didn't have a change of clothes, and he really didn't want to put on the clothes he'd been wearing, considering... Well he just didn't want to put them back on. He stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and was surprised to see a small pile of clothes had been set in front of the bathroom door. As he picked them up Kakashi walked by and muttered under his breath without even glancing up from his book,

"Naruto put those there for you."

Sasuke looked around the corner and saw Naruto in the kitchen talking to Sakura over the stove. He noticed that although Naruto wasn't wearing new clothes, his had obviously been washed from the night before. He silently took the clothes back into the bathroom and changed, happy to find they were fitting and quite similar to the ones he'd been wearing before. He figured Naruto had either bought them from the village or found them somewhere in the large house.

When he stepped out of the bathroom and into the living room, Sakura turned to him, saw the dirty clothes in his hands and said,

"Oh, are your clothes dirty too, Sasuke? If I'd have known I would have washed them with Naruto's. Oh well, put them over there and I'll do it later."

He nodded and placed his clothes where she had directed, careful not to look at Naruto standing right beside her though he noticed Naruto was trying just as hard not to look at him. It wasn't just bad feelings because of how the night had ended, it was the whole night in general. Neither of them knew what to do now, how to act, what to say. It was like the whole world had done a 180º flip.

Sasuke sat down on the couch he'd spent the night on and the next second heard Sakura say loudly,

"Oh, Sasuke, that reminds me; take your shirt off."

Sasuke just glanced at her curiously but Naruto's eyes opened wide and he stared at her like she was crazy.

"W- why?" Naruto asked as Sakura left the kitchen and stood in front of Sasuke, looking down at him somewhat menacingly.

"Because I never got around to giving him one last checkup on those wounds of his. If I missed something it could be really bad later on!"

Something about her commanding gaze made Sasuke not feel like arguing with her, and he quickly peeling off the new shirt he'd just changed into. Almost instantly she singled in on the area of skin just above his left shoulder and going onto his neck. Sasuke saw her confused expression and wondered what she was looking at.

"This wasn't here before... I can't really tell what it is though. Sasuke, do you remember being scratched by anything?"

"Scratched?" Sasuke asked, trying to think of something that would have left scratch marks on him,

"Or maybe... Well it looks like scratches and kinda like... marks? There's five here on your neck and five more a little lower. I'm gonna go ahead and heal them."

"No!" Sasuke said suddenly, making Sakura freeze and Naruto almost drop the plate he'd been trying to put away. He had just realized exactly what those marks were. That was where Naruto's fingernails had dug into him the night before. He reached his right hand around and tentatively felt the indents on his skin, remembering the sensations he'd been feeling the moment they were put there.

Sasuke peered over at Naruto to see if he realized too, and was not disappointed. Naruto was blushing and looking the other direction very determinedly.

"You don't want me to heal you?" Sakura asked skeptically. "It'll only take a second."

"Er..." He muttered, and noticed Kakashi smiling at him mockingly. He sighed. "Go ahead."

Sasuke saw the glow of her hands from the corner of his eye and it really did only take a second. She then inspected the rest of his body to make sure he was fully healed from his battle with Shikamaru and the rookie nine. After a little healing on his still sore ribs she gave him his shirt to put back on and walked back into the kitchen.

"Naruto, did you get hurt somehow too?" Sasuke heard her ask, and he slowly turned around to see her point to Naruto and place a hand on her hips. "Right there, you've got something on your neck."

Sasuke's mouth fell open a bit as Naruto slapped a hand over his neck so fast it looked like a blur.

"Eh!" Sakura exclaimed. "Are you okay? Your face is all red and you're acting weird, Naruto!"

"I have to go to the bathroom!"

He practically ran to the bathroom, covering his neck the entire way. As Sakura began asking Kakashi what he thought was wrong with Naruto, Sasuke slipped out of the living room to stand in front of the closed bathroom door patiently. When Naruto left he was zipping up his jacket to the very top, a light blush still tinting his cheeks. He stopped when he saw Sasuke and his hands touched a place on his neck where Sasuke was sure there was a small mark discoloring that tanned skin.

"You're lucky," he said with a smirk. "You got to keep yours."

"W- who would want to keep it!" Naruto stuttered sheepishly, glancing the other direction.

As they walked back into the living room Sasuke muttered softly in Naruto's ear,

"I want to make more..."

Naruto blushed, but a smile appeared on his face and he shoved Sasuke in a friendly way. Sasuke was glad for that smile, more than he realize. That smile showed that Naruto didn't want things to be awkward between them. It showed that Naruto would allow Sasuke a few romantic comments, that Naruto even enjoyed them, however embarrassing they were. That smile showed that they could have fun with their secret connection, their secret love.

That smile assured Sasuke that, as cheesy as it sounds, they were in a relationship, a consensual relationship born from mutual feelings.

And it was Naruto's smile, the smile that made Sasuke's insides melt with it's beauty and radiance.

Sasuke started to smile back but then he remembered all the pain he'd felt from Naruto the night before, and he frowned. Naruto saw him frown and seemed to understand, mimicking the expression with an added hint of sadness.

"We should talk." Sasuke said, though talking was the farthest thing from what he really wanted to do. He almost wished Naruto would shake his head, smile and tell him not to worry about it, but no such luck.

Naruto nodded darkly then glanced towards the front door. All of the sudden Sakura popped up in front of them, startling them both with a big smile. She didn't even look at Sasuke, just moved in close to Naruto and fluttered her eyelashes as he she said in an overly girly, flirty voice,

"Naruto, I was thinking about taking a walk. Do you want to come with me?"

Naruto's reaction was first surprise, and then he smiled apologetically and started rubbing the back of his head. Sasuke tried very hard not to glare at Sakura, though he really, really wanted to.

"S- sorry Sakura-chan! Sasuke and I were just about to go on a walk."

After shooting a dark look in Sasuke's direction she smiled again and said cheerfully,

"Why don't I just come along with you?"

Naruto looked genuinely upset when he replied,

"We kinda wanted to talk... alone."

Sakura's smile fell from her face and she pouted her lip as though expecting Naruto to suddenly change his mind and follow along with whatever girlish whim she could come up with. Then suddenly her expression changed to one of confusion. She stared at Naruto as though seeing something different about him, then frowned and replied,

"Alright, I guess I'll have to find something else to do today. Don't go too far or you'll get lost! I know how bad your sense of direction is, Naruto!"

"Aw, come on, Sakura-chan, it's not that bad!" Naruto replied, as Sasuke headed towards the door. Naruto gave Sakura one last rueful glance then followed Sasuke out onto the front porch and down the stairs. Sasuke looked back and saw Sakura staring at them from inside the cabin, expressions of both worry and suspicion in her pale green eyes.

* * *

They found themselves walking along the edge of the trees, right where the ground started sloping down into the steep valley. They were quiet, keeping a good four feet of distance between them as they walked, listening to sounds of the wind in the valley below and the various animals that inhabited the nearby woods. Every few seconds one of them would glance at the other until finally Sasuke sighed and said monotonously,

"I feel like we should be holding hands or something."

At first Naruto was just a bit surprised Sasuke had started conversation at all, then bunched his shoulders up and replied loudly,

"Come'on Sasuke, you're makin' us sound all gay!"

"Naruto, you do realize..."

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto said unhappily, waving his hand as if to shoo away the thought that annoyed him. "I know."

Sasuke smiled a bit. Naruto was having a harder time with his suddenly homosexual feelings than Sasuke. Sasuke had never been very sexually focussed, he was more A-sexual than anything, at least until now. Naruto had always been so in love with Sakura and a huge pervert, at least that was how Sasuke remembered him.

Thinking back on the way Sakura had approached Naruto a few minutes earlier, he frowned and wondered if Naruto's feelings were completely changed from back when they were kids. Surely... he didn't still feel that way about Sakura.

"Sakura's changed, hasn't she?" he asked cleverly, narrowing his eyes as Naruto glanced at him inquisitively.

"I guess... What about it?"

"Don't be dumb, dobe. You saw the way she looked a you back there. After all these years you never tried to get with her?"

Naruto frowned, then shook his head. "Nah, I prefer cold-hearted teme's over cute, sweet _girls_ any day."

Sasuke stopped. For a moment Naruto had had that look in his eyes again, that pained looked. Naruto was just using the sarcastic remark about girls to cover up what was really bothering him. Though what he'd said was supposed to be playful, Sasuke could tell the "cold-hearted" remark was genuine and it made him upset. Naruto stopped when he noticed that Sasuke had stopped and cautiously looked back, his emotions guarded, like he had bars over his eyes.

Sasuke looked down, hesitant. He hated feeling this way. All this pain inside him, Naruto's pain, pain that _he_ caused. He hated it, but he was afraid of it too. He wanted to touch Naruto again, but he was scared because what if that pain started flowing into him again, what would he do? Would he be able to take it? It was so much it seemed like it could kill him if he wasn't strong enough, and he wasn't sure that he was. He looked up again at Naruto standing a few feet away. The sunlight came through the leaves of the trees above them and shone down on Naruto like a spotlight.

Sasuke's heart ached because all of him just wanted to touch Naruto and hold him and kiss him and never let him go again. He frowned, having made up his mind. Taking a step close, he said in a low, serious voice,

"Naruto... I need you to ask me again."

Naruto seemed startled, then anxiously confused.

"Ask you what, again?" he said, furrowing his brow.

Sasuke swallowed and took another step towards Naruto. Grass and leaves crunched beneath his feet on the forrest floor.

"What you asked me last night." He replied firmly.

Naruto gulped and silently stared at Sasuke as if asking if he were sure. Sasuke nodded, and Naruto opened his mouth, staring ahead sadly as he began to mutter,

"Why did you-"

"Not like that." Sasuke interrupted, and Naruto looked up in surprise, the wind somehow knocked out of him like he'd been holding his breath and it just returned. His eyes widened when he saw the way Sasuke was looking at him. Those dark eyes were pouring intensity into the bright spring air, making it seem cold and heavy. Sasuke motioned with his hand for Naruto to come closer, and like he was under a spell, Naruto took a few steps forward.

"Ask me like you asked last night."

"Do you have an answer?" Naruto asked nervously. He didn't think he could stand it if Sasuke ran again. It had been bad enough last night. He hadn't meant for all those feelings to escape him, but they were there, he couldn't deny it. Every time he looked at Sasuke he felt it; resentment, anger, frustration. He knew these feelings would never go away unless Sasuke answered him once and for all. He desperately wanted Sasuke's answer, but he wasn't sure what he would do if Sasuke hurt him again. He could only take so much.

But Sasuke smiled lightly and took Naruto's hand in his, placing it against his cheek and tilting his head so Naruto's fingers could feel the warmth of his breath and the movement of his lips as he replied softly,

"I think I do."

And suddenly Naruto knew what he had to do. All that frustration and anger and resentment came up like bile in his throat and he growled like an animal, crashing against Sasuke with such force he pinned him against a tree. Sasuke didn't fight back, he barely winced when his back hit the hard bark, staring at Naruto, prepared for whatever Naruto would throw at him. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shirt in his hands tightly and, glaring at Sasuke with all he had, slammed their lips together with ardent intensity.

And Naruto wasn't just asking Sasuke why'd he'd left, he was screaming it, throwing all his anger and sadness and hatred so hard at Sasuke through that powerful kiss he felt his chakra sizzle beneath his skin, pushing from his body into Sasuke's. And he didn't try to hold back, he wanted Sasuke to feel all of it, to experience how much Sasuke had hurt him, to understand _why_ he was so hurt, and angry, and frustrated.

His heart was pumping hard in his chest as his temperature soared and he moved his mouth to the side, holding Sasuke's lips to his as he kept screaming and screaming his emotions silently through their kiss. He could feel waves of power radiating from his body and he deepened the kiss, forcing his tongue inside Sasuke's mouth angrily, pressing his hands into Sasuke's chest as he kept venting everything that made him feel bad that could be blamed on Sasuke.

_WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME? WE WERE FRIENDS, AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN CARE! YOU LEFT WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT, YOU LEFT ME! WHY DID YOU HATE ME SO MUCH WHEN I CARED ABOUT YOU, I CARED ABOUT YOU SO MUCH, I LOVED YOU LIKE A BROTHER, BUT YOU LEFT ME! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME AND HURT ME SO BADLY, SASUKE? WHY!_

Naruto was throwing everything he had at Sasuke with that kiss, and it hurt him just to think about it, just to remember what Sasuke had done all those times. It was like his very soul was being torn apart, the darkest, sickest parts of his soul that caused him so much pain. His soul was being pushed onto Sasuke, forced onto him, forcing Sasuke to face it, to accept what he'd done to Naruto, to accept that he was the reason for all that pain.

Naruto didn't know how a kiss could say so much, but with Sasuke that was just the way it was. Their bodies were their voices, and with his kiss, Naruto had not only asked Sasuke why he'd left, but had pushed his pain out with that question, and the same way Naruto had asked with that kiss, Sasuke replied with that kiss.

Sasuke didn't have to say anything. As the full force of Naruto's pain was heaped upon him, he knew what he had to do.

Sasuke took all that pain inside him. He embraced Naruto's rage, and hatred, and frustration by closing his eyes and allowing it to wash over him. He tilted his head into the kiss and at every angry motion Naruto attacked him with, he replied with a soft, gentle caress. Naruto tried to force his way into Sasuke's mouth with his tongue, and Sasuke let him in.

It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. It was true that it hurt, it hurt horribly. The guilt alone would have torn him apart, the proof of that was in the way Naruto's chakra was burning around them. If he hadn't known just the right way to respond, he would have been devoured by Naruto's fierce emotions.

Sasuke kissed Naruto back as gentle and trusting as he could, and by doing so, he replied with a loving, adoring, devoted silent muttering of,

_I'm sorry, Naruto._

And at first, Naruto couldn't hear him. He was screaming his anger so loudly he couldn't tell that Sasuke was kissing him back so genuinely apologetic for what he'd caused. Then, slowly, he felt his anger draining, flowing out of him, and he wondered where it was going, he'd been holding onto it for so long he didn't think it would ever go away. But all of the sudden he could feel it, Sasuke's lips so gentle against his, pulling all of the negativity out of him and reply vehemently with his apology. It was quiet at first, but it grew louder and louder until it was louder than Naruto's angry kiss, and Sasuke was controlling the kiss now, and it was sweet, and soft, and cool and it felt so good, not painful anymore, just good. Kissing Sasuke felt so good, so much better than it had before, and with every kiss Sasuke just reaffirmed his apology again and again until Naruto pulled away panting heavily as tears rolled down his cheeks and a sob broke out of his throat.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, I-"

"I know," Sasuke replied, pulling Naruto against him again, wrapping his arms around Naruto's back and squeezing the very air out of him, embracing him strongly with his lips pressed against Naruto's ear where he whispered, just for final emphasis,

"I'm sorry."

Naruto's eyes flew open wide, and he realized that it was a beautiful sunny day, and they were in the middle of the woods, and he thought they were ridiculous, and he couldn't believe what had just happened, and he felt... he felt light. He felt like everything would be okay now. And slowly, he brought his hands up and wrapped them around Sasuke's waist, holding onto him just as tightly as Sasuke was holding onto him.

Naruto was content now, but something inside him still made him ask quietly,

"Just tell me, honestly... was it hard to leave at all?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, then he whispered in Naruto's ear, "It was the hardest thing i've ever done, including killing Itachi. All because you were there trying to stop me. If not for you it would have been... Kakashi tried, and Sakura tried, but they weren't anything. I didn't care about anyone but you. No one else had even a chance of stopping me."

Naruto gritted his teeth and held onto Sasuke tighter.

"I couldn't even do it..."

"You came closer than you think," Sasuke said softly, letting his chin fall on Naruto's shoulder as Naruto breathed in Sasuke's scent and closed his eyes, relaxing into the gentle embrace.

They stayed like that for a minute until Sasuke finally pulled away to stare into Naruto's eyes longingly. He leaned forward with his eyes closed and stuck his tongue out, gently licking away the tears that had fallen from those beautiful eyes. Naruto blushed but smiled as Sasuke moved his mouth down and kissed Naruto again. This was a simple _ I love you_ kiss, but it started a fire in Naruto. Sasuke moved his hands down then up under Naruto's shirt. Naruto began to moan as he let his own hands slide down towards the lower part of Sasuke's body.

Sasuke let out a pleased hiss when he felt Naruto's hands touch him through his pants, and he stepped forward, almost knocking Naruto to the ground as he unzipped Naruto's jacket and kissed the mark he'd left there the night before.

Naruto was starting to breath heavily the the air around them was growing thick. His vision swam before him because he couldn't believe how good it felt, how wonderful it was doing this with Sasuke. It was that feeling of discovering you were in love with your best friend, the very person who understood you best. Just hearing Sasuke's voice was enough to make him hard, and Sasuke was muttering in his ear. Naruto was already so gone in the sensations he couldn't tell what Sasuke was muttering, he just knew it sounded good, so good in Sasuke's familiar low voice. Then he noticed that Sasuke had stopped kissing him, and he heard his name through the fog in his brain,

"Naruto... Naruto, we should stop."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, a bit confused and upset, the pressure in his pants still unsatisfied.

But then Sasuke smiled at him and said as he moved away, zipping Naruto's jacket up and tracing his finger along the side of his whiskered cheek,

"If we keep this up we'll dirty our clothes again."

Naruto's eyes widened and he blushed deep red, turning away from Sasuke and replying as he started messing with his hair and clothes to try and _not_ look like someone who was just molested in the middle of a forrest,

"A- ah, right!"

They both stared off in different directions for a minute, Naruto biting his lip and shifting from one foot to another anxiously. Then he opened his mouth and started to say, before embarrassment could get the better of him,

"Tonight-"

"Tonight-" Sasuke started to say at the same time. The stopped in the middle of what they were going to say and turned to each other with wide eyes.

The next minute they both realized that they had been about to suggest the exact same thing at the exact same time. A smile broke out on Naruto's face that mimicked the one on Sasuke's. They stood there smiling at each other for a minute then Naruto laughed. Sasuke watched him laughing fondly, then stepped towards him and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together as Naruto looked at him, amused and a bit caught off-guard.

Sasuke nodded back in the direction they'd come, back towards the cabin. Naruto smiled at him and with a gentle squeeze of his hand, started following Sasuke through the tall trees as the sun shone through their leaves and shined brightly on the two friends who walked the entire way back to the house with their hands clasped tight, not saying a single word, but being completely content.

* * *

**Hi guys, this is really long and sorry my lime-writing skills suck. :P **

**Dang it! I was going to post this Sunday night and you can blame THIS DAMN WEBSITE for not letting me. Grrrrrr! But... it's posted now so I'm happy I guess. I was on Spring Break these last few days, that's why I've been updating so fast. When I'm back in school, just a warning, that's proooobably not gonna happen. Thanks to everyone for reading because I'm really starting to like this story!**

**KeikoPanda102**


	8. Part 7

Part 7:

As they approached the cabin, Sasuke and Naruto broke the hold they'd had on each other's hands, smiling at each other sadly. Sasuke sighed and put his hands in his pockets, staring towards the sky as he said off-handedly,

"I think Kakashi knows."

Naruto stopped in his tracks and stared at Sasuke with his mouth hanging open.

"What?" Naruto asked, looking like he didn't believe what Sasuke had just said. "How? What did he say?"

"He's not like Sakura. He knows what a hickey is." Sasuke said calmly, though watching Naruto panic was just a bit amusing. "But he said he wasn't going to interfere."

"He's not gonna stop us?"

Sasuke shrugged, seeing the perplexed expression on Naruto's face.

"Guess not."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment, walking forward again and keep pace beside Sasuke. After a minute he sighed and pouted, his shoulder's falling as he mumbled unhappily,

"Just another thing Kakashi-sensei can tease me about…"

Sasuke smiled as the cabin came closer into view. It looked very peacefully perched on the top of the mountain amidst the trees, the narrow dirt road that led up to it rough and bumpy from years of no one walking on it. When they reached the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the front porch, Naruto scowled thoughtfully and muttered through a slight blush,

"Hey, do you think we should tell-"

"There you two are!" Sakura suddenly yelled, slamming open the front screen door and fixing both Sasuke and Naruto with an annoyed glare. They each took a step back down the stairs, the look in Sakura's eyes not making them feel very welcome.

"I've been waiting forever! It's almost sun set! You _did_ get lost, didn't you?"

She didn't wait for them to reply, just shook her head impatiently and stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind her and pushing her way past them, grabbing each of their sleeves in her hand and pulling them along with her down the stairs and out in front of the house.

"We need firewood," she said loudly, and pointed to a large, triangular stack of logs placed precarious on the side of the house. They just stared at her blankly until she rolled her eyes, went to the other side of the stack and brought back two very large, heavy axes, dropping one of each in their hands. Both Naruto and Sasuke could barely hold them and stared at Sakura like she was crazy as she pointed to the stack of logs and gave them a sweet smile.

"They're not going to chop themselves!"

Sasuke and Naruto turned to each other incredulously as she sauntered back inside the house, grudgingly picking up the ridiculously sized axes and sighing together with a defeated air. They began chopping the wood, growing out of breath with the first swing of the gargantuan tools.

"These have to be Killer Bee's brother's." Naruto panted, raising it heavily over his head and bringing it down smack in the middle of one of the logs, slicing it clean in half. "No one else would need an ax this big."

They huffed and puffed through about ten logs each, and then Naruto had a brilliant idea. He dropped the ax and held out his hand, slamming it down on the wood and splitting it straight down the middle. Sasuke nodded approvingly and started chopping his own logs with just a swing of his hand and a little lightning to make it even easier. They kept it up for a good five minutes before Sakura heard Naruto laughing because they'd started a friendly competition and came back out onto the porch.

"Hey, no cheating!" She yelled from the porch sourly.

Naruto pouted and replied loudly, "C'mon Sakura, it's haaaaard!"

"You're just gonna end up hurting your hands and I'll have to heal you. Do it with the axes like you're supposed to!" She frowned as Kakashi stepped onto the porch behind her. After watching them grudgingly pick the axes back up and start swinging them over their heads she walked back inside with the same accomplished air as she had before. Kakashi leaned over the porch railing smiling at them as they worked up a sweat. After a minute he called down at them lightly,

"You know she's only doing this because you wouldn't let her go on your 'walk' with you."

Naruto ignored him, grumbling as he swung the blade over his head again. After another few logs were split, Naruto wiped his forehead and peeled his shirt off, sweat already dripping down his body from the work and the hot sun. Sasuke caught that tan skin in the corner of his eye and couldn't believe he never noticed how delicious it looked before.

That was when he detected Sakura poking her head out of one of the windows facing them, her eyes fixed on Naruto as he resumed the labor she had set out for the two of them. He was positive revenge hadn't been her only goal in assigning them, particularly Naruto, this task. He bit down angrily on his tongue and flexed his arms, bringing his ax over his head again and chopping another piece of wood. Every time he stopped to put a new log on the chopping block he glanced in her direction and saw that her eyes were still trained on Naruto. He brought the ax down unintentionally hard and the log shattered into four different pieces, one of which went flying over Naruto's head. Naruto glanced at him with a raised eyebrow but he didn't give any reply to the silent question, glancing up towards Sakura's window and noticing she had left.

The next minute she was back on the porch, biting her lip as she stared at Naruto before calling out to him,

"Naruto!"

He stopped as he'd just been about to raise the ax over his head and looked up, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. Sakura gave him one of her smiles, all too familiar to Sasuke, and said in that sickly sweet voice,

"Could you come help me with something else instead?"

"What now?" Naruto asked as he dropped the ax.

"Well," she muttered as he began to climb the stairs onto the porch, "I figure since we're staying here we might as well clean this place up a bit. Sasuke, you can keep chopping! I want to have a fire to cook tonight's dinner in!"

Naruto glanced back at Sasuke apologetically before following Sakura inside the house while she mumbled something about the gutters and a light needing to be changed in the upstairs room. If he hadn't already resigned himself to not causing trouble he would have followed them inside, claimed Naruto as his and ended her girly delusions in a second, but he had a feeling Naruto wouldn't like that. The strange new bond he had with Naruto told him that. Plus he didn't want to risk ruining what he and Naruto had agreed on earlier in the woods in regards to what the two of them would be doing later on that evening. He did, although; picture Sakura's face on the next log he viciously chopped with a heavy blow of his ax, splitting it straight down the middle. He smirked to himself, feeling just a little bit satisfied.

* * *

"See," Sakura said, pointing to the entirety of the living room broadly as Naruto stared at her with a timidly confused expression. "There are cobwebs all over this room! Here," she handed him a duster shoved him towards a particularly dusty section of wall behind the couch. "If we're going to be staying here for some time I want this place to be clean! Don't forget to do the ceiling too."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"We learned how to walk up walls _years_ ago, Naruto. But remember to take your shoes off when you do so you don't leave tracks."

"Oh," Naruto muttered, nodding as he fondly remembered their first tree-walking lesson all those years ago. "Yeah, okay. But why can't _you_ do all this cleaning stuff Sakura?"

"B- because I'm doing other stuff!"

Naruto frowned and snorted unbelievingly as Sakura turned away from him and began fiddling around in the kitchen. As Naruto set himself to work cleaning like Sakura told him to, she randomly glanced over at him every few minutes inconspicuously. He didn't notice, just kept clumsily dusting around the room with a content smile on his face. It made Sakura curious. Naruto seemed to have changed somehow. She didn't know why or when, but there was something different, something lighter about him.

She laughed quietly at him when he accidentally backed up into a huge spider web and freaked out, thinking there was a spider on his back. Without his shirt on it was very easy for her to see how nice Naruto looked. Those kinds of thoughts had been building in her for a long time, thoughts of Naruto as more than just a friend. Everything had always been so crazy with missions and attacks on the village that there never seemed to be time for relationships but now that they were stuck with just the four of them and nothing to do she started thinking about it again.

And usually she wouldn't even have to say anything. In the past Naruto was always all over her, acting like an immature schoolboy. Ever since she came to him crying after hearing what Shikamaru was planning he had been different. Maybe it had happened right in that moment, right when she told him. She remembered that he had seemed strange. She had expected him to be upset and angry, but the second she said, "they're going to kill Sasuke!" he froze. Like he went into shock, his whole body rigid and his eyes glazed over. It had really scared her momentarily, but it didn't last too long. He froze just for a minute and then had this horrible expression of pain and somehow… guilt, on his face. It was as though he realized something. And after that he sprung into action like the Naruto she knew, running back into the house and changing clothes, dashing out after Shikamaru and the others without a second thought, telling her to stay there with a grave scowl.

There was something… something about Sasuke. That was why Sakura hadn't liked it when Naruto had said he was going on a walk alone with Sasuke. It wasn't like when they were all a team, when they were just kids. Everything was so simple then. But Sasuke wasn't trustworthy now! She knew Naruto could take care of himself but she didn't like the way Naruto let his guard down around Sasuke almost like they were back to being friends again. She knew Naruto resented him, was angry with him for every thing he did. He _had _to be. After everything Sasuke did! Naruto couldn't have forgiven him so easily!

And yet, when she had watched them chopping the logs it seemed like they were friends, or at least had some kind of bond she didn't understand. There was something about it she didn't like.

"Um, Naruto?" she asked apprehensively. Naruto turned around to show he heard her, and she dropped her gaze to the floor as she muttered quietly, "W-what did you and Sasuke talk about when you were out walking?"

She glanced up just enough to not miss the blush that spread across Naruto face upon hearing her question. He turned from her and continued cleaning the dust from a dried-up plant in the corner of the room as he replied vaguely,

"Erm, you know, stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"W- we haven't really talked in a while, so we were just catching up. You know what I mean. Sasuke is uh, it's like it was before when we were friends I guess…"

Sakura frowned. "But it isn't like it was before, Naruto," she said firmly. "We're different now, and I- I don't want it to be like it was before!"

"But why not?" Naruto asked in a hushed voice as though he were afraid of what he was asking.

"How can it be like it was before?" Sakura asked loudly, almost yelling. "After everything- everything Sasuke did! You can't really forgive him so easily for- for everything! For abandoning the village, and then joining Akatsuki and almost killing us! Both of us!"

"I understand why he did those things, Sakura." Naruto said flatly, looking straight in Sakura's eyes with determined confidence and an internal calm she hadn't noticed was there before. "We've all been through a lot and Sasuke… I know why Sasuke did it, and I forgive him."

Naruto paused, seeming to disconnect from their conversation and stare off somewhere else for a moment. The barest hint of a smile crossed his lips and he repeated softly,

"I forgive him."

Sakura stared at him and began to shake, crumbling to the floor. Naruto dropped the broom and duster he'd been using and raced over to her, kneeling down and putting an arm around her shoulder.

"I can't forgive him," she sobbed in his arm, picturing the dead look in Sasuke's eyes, as he was about to kill her simply for being there, in the way. "I can't!" Sakura had really loved Sasuke. Everything he did to them hurt her still, even though she no longer cared for him. Those feelings were still there in her memories, and they still hurt, and she couldn't forgive like Naruto could. Naruto was good at forgiveness. Naruto was good at a lot of things she wasn't good at.

She felt his breath against her hair as he let out a deep sigh, holding onto her as she shook in his arms. Slowly she regained her composure and let herself relax in the embrace. She could feel Naruto's bare skin against her and she bit her lip, feeling suddenly overly conscious of his body so close to hers.

"Even if I c- could forgive him… I wouldn't want us to go back to the way we were…"

She looked up at Naruto and he gave her a quizzical glance. Placing a hand gently on his arm, she pressed herself against his body and whispered in a low voice,

"I wasn't good for anything back then, don't you remember? And I- I was in love with the wrong person." The hand on his arm tightened its grip and Naruto gulped uncomfortably as Sakura looked down, blushing.

"I'm different now, Naruto, do you understand what I mean?"

Sakura looked up at him, putting on her best romance-face, holding her breath as she waited for his reply. He stared at her, and he looked horribly conflicted, and guilty. She wasn't sure she liked that look but she held out hope. His eyes darted around nervously and he gulped again before carefully pushing her away and standing up. Then, just as he was about to open his mouth to give a reply, Kakashi's voice called from the other room loudly,

"Naruto! Come give me a hand up here!"

Without glancing at Sakura again, Naruto darted towards the stairs with a faint grimace.

"C-coming!"

Sakura sat back on the floor and exhaled, blowing a bit of her bright pink hair from her face in exasperation. Her heart wasn't beating the way she thought it would. She had just confessed, hadn't she? As she stood up she smiled, thinking that Naruto's shyness was cute, but he would definitely need to get over it.

There was a nagging thought at the back of her mind that maybe Naruto's reaction wasn't exactly due to his nerves, but she ignored it for the most part, busying herself with cleaning and preparing dinner. She and Naruto didn't have to rush their love, she thought determinedly, nodding to herself. It wasn't like there was anyone else here to compete with her for Naruto's affections! He was as good as hers.

Naruto tried to avoid Sakura for the rest of the night, as much as he could in the single cabin with only four inhabitants. He didn't tell Sasuke about Sakura's slight confession, in fact he barely thought about it besides feeling guilty for having to turn her down eventually. He was preoccupied thinking about the night that lay ahead of him concerning Sasuke, and thinking about Sasuke in general. Though, as the day wore on, _and on_, and the more tasks Sakura and Kakashi piled upon him, the less energy Naruto had to even think about doing something even more energy-consuming later in the night, not that he wouldn't try.

Unfortunately, Sasuke had a similar problem. By the time he finished chopping enough wood, Sakura had given him another physically draining task to complete, and then another, _and then another_, almost to the point where he was tempted to refuse. When dinner was finally finished, a slow fire-roasted steak dinner with rice, vegetable fry, and dumplings, quite a ways past nightfall, and Sakura allowed both Naruto and Sasuke stop their grueling tasks to come eat, they were so hungry Naruto started to drool when he saw the food and Sasuke's stomach rumbled.

Sakura noticed that as soon as they'd gotten something to eat, Naruto and Sasuke's eyes drifted towards each other, so she used the dinner setting to show Naruto he couldn't avoid her anymore. She spent the entire meal sitting beside him with her flashiest smile on as Sasuke struggled not to glare on the other side of the table. Beside him, a very amused Kakashi watched his old students from a wise perspective, learned in the ways of love. He sure hoped Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't keep Sakura hanging for too long, because if they did that it might end badly.

"Do you like the food, Naruto?" Sakura asked with a grin.

Naruto swallowed a bite with more force than necessary, glancing at her as he lowered his chopsticks away from his mouth.

"It's really good, Sakura-chan, b-but you're food is always good."

"Wouldn't I make a good wife?"

Naruto nearly choked on his water at this question, choosing silence and an awkward smile instead of an answer that would only serve to get him into trouble with someone.

Though she was sure that she loved Naruto and wanted to be with him, as the dinner wore on and she exhausted herself flirting, she felt like something was missing. It bothered her and only made her try harder, at least until everyone had finished eating, the moon already in the middle of the sky. At that point Kakashi announced that they should all get to bed as it had been a long day of cleaning and Naruto looked as though he were about to start drooling on the table from exhaustion. At this, Naruto quickly straightened his shoulders and said loudly, "I'm awake, I'm awake! I'm not tired!" while casting a glance sideways at Sasuke, something Sakura did not miss. Neither did she miss how Sasuke smiled amusedly and replied to Naruto, his body language saying more than what he said aloud.

"Yes, you are."

Sakura wasn't sure what exactly Sasuke was saying beneath his words but Naruto had somehow understood and pouted into a subtle blush as Kakashi stood from the table and headed inside, signaling each of them to follow and head to bed. Something was bothering Sakura. She held Naruto back after Sasuke followed Kakashi inside.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head and yawning.

"N- nothing, I just wanted to be alone with you for a minute, that's all."

"Huh? How come?"

Sakura frowned and let out a sigh. Naruto was really dense sometimes. She rolled her eyes and started inside, feeling somewhat less in love with him than she had been before.

"You're so dumb sometimes, you know that Naruto?"

"Ehhh?" he exclaimed, following after her. "What did I do? Don't be so mean, Sakura-chan!"

"Whatever Naruto." She had the nagging feeling that it wasn't just Naruto's general idiot-ness that was making him act like he was acting towards her. Though she was sure he used to be in love with her, she just didn't know if that was true anymore. If it wasn't, she would need to make him fall in love with her again, and who knows how long that could take.

"Goodnight!" She yelled after her and she walked down the hallway and into her room, seriously planning out her coming attack on Naruto; Operation Seduce Naruto was underway!

As soon as she left, before Kakashi even started upstairs to his room, Naruto and Sasuke were walking sleepily down the hallway, each dragging their feet after the long day. When he entered their room, Naruto made to drop face first onto his bed, but Sasuke had another idea. He caught Naruto around his waist and made him fall, instead, onto Sasuke's bed on the other side of the room. Caught completely off-guard, Naruto blinked up at Sasuke in surprise as Sasuke leaned over him so their noses were almost touching, saying a cool voice,

"We're both too tired to do anything. My arms hurt like hell from all that wood chopping. But we can at least sleep together, don't you think?"

Naruto blushed but smiled in a way that, if he hadn't felt like he was about to drop, would have made Sasuke loose all restraint. Sasuke kissed Naruto lightly on his lips then climbed over Naruto, pulling his legs up onto the mattress as he did, then dropping his head onto the pillow and feeling Naruto's head hit it at the same time.

He wrapped his arms around Naruto and found that he enjoyed the closeness, the feel of their bodies fitting together, more than he thought he would. He doubted he would be able to do this with anyone else. Sasuke had always had a large personal space bubble. It had always bothered him when first Sakura and then Karin liked to get too close to him. With Naruto it was different. It was so much better. He loved even the way Naruto smelled and the feel of Naruto's hair tickling his nose as he pressed his lips against the back of that tan neck. He groaned lightly, wishing he wasn't so tired.

"Sasuke, i-it's gonna be too hot if we keep our shirts on." Naruto muttered after a minute, turning around to face Sasuke with a light blush that told Sasuke that Naruto had just been thinking the same thing he had been thinking.

"Then take your shirt off." Sasuke replied with a sneaky glint in his coal black eyes.

Naruto bit his lip then sat up just enough to slowly peel both his jacket and t-shirt off while Sasuke watched him with that deadly gaze. When he started to snuggle back into Sasuke's arms, Sasuke stopped him with a hand on his chest and said with smirk,

"Take mine off too."

Naruto's eyes widened then he nervously grabbed the edges of Sasuke's shirt and pulled it roughly over his head, messing up his hair and tossing the shirt to the ground then promptly turning his back to Sasuke, his shoulders up to his ears for embarrassment. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's now bare chest and held him tight, enjoying the feel of warmth that was slowly spreading through him. It was strange. He was tired physically, but he didn't feel very sleepy. He wanted to talk to Naruto as they lied in bed together. He found that thought to be very odd, yet almost pleasant the moment he had it.

"Hn, Sakura wasn't holding anything back tonight was she?"

Naruto squirmed in his arms uncomfortably.

"You noticed that too? Sakura-chan said she liked me a while ago but I didn't really believe her. I kinda guessed she was still in love with…"

He tailed off and Sasuke understood what he was implying. He rolled his eyes though he knew Naruto couldn't see facing the other direction.

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't feel that way anymore. Did you see how hard she worked me today? I can barely move my arms."

Naruto sighed sulkily. Sasuke smiled, reading Naruto's mind like he'd been doing it for years and said,

"Yeah, I think it sucks too. I was really looking forward to-"

"Have you ever done it before?" Naruto had cut him off to ask in an anxious whisper. It seemed he was trying to make it seem like it mattered less. Admittedly, that particular thought hadn't even crossed Sasuke's mind, but the second Naruto asked him, he found himself thinking the same thing about Naruto. He became so suddenly angry it surprised even him. His muscles clenched around Naruto and he asked through gritted teeth without even bothering to answer Naruto first,

"Have you?"

"No," Naruto answered tensely. "I was always to busy training. Training to bring _you_ back to the Leaf village."

Sasuke exhaled swiftly, letting his eyes fall closed as relaxation overcame him. He pulled Naruto closer to him again so he could whisper in his ear as he replied,

"Same for me. But _I_ was always busy training to kill you."

He saw the corners of Naruto's cheeks lift in a quiet smile as he opened his eyes into the darkness, and then closed them once again; glad Naruto hadn't taken his cruel remark to heart.

Naruto didn't say anything for a minute and they lay on the bed in silence, breathing easily against each other's bodies. Sasuke almost felt himself start to drift to sleep. He wondered faintly how it was possible for him to trust Naruto so easily. To trust him enough to not only sleep in the same room with him, his guard completely down, but to sleep in the same bed and with their bodies touching. He never thought anything like that would be possible with anyone. Sasuke didn't trust easily, or at all, not after he was betrayed so cruelly all those years ago.

Somehow he felt like it was impossible not to trust Naruto. There didn't seem to be anything dark about Naruto at all. He was just light all the time, never an ounce of dark: the opposite of Sasuke. And really, after everything Naruto had done for him, most recently saving his life at the cost of being banished from his beloved Leaf, he thought Naruto deserved a little bit of trust.

Sasuke knew Naruto liked to touch people. He could feel Naruto's steady heartbeat against his chest and knew that just like he trusted Naruto, Naruto trusted him as well. Naruto's breathing was so steady Sasuke thought for a moment he had gone to sleep, but then in the darkness he heard a whisper that hid a sly smile behind it,

"As if you could've killed me, teme."

Sasuke smiled in spite of himself, and in spite of the guilt that bubbled up when he heard those words and thought about his past. His past and the fact that he not only could have killed Naruto, he had _wanted_ to. He closed his eyes in a frown and silently told himself over and over, _No, I could never have killed him. Not him. Not Naruto. Not my dobe._

And that was when something hit him. His dobe. _His_ dobe. Sasuke wanted Naruto to belong to him. He had only been thinking it subconsciously but now that he realized it he really wanted it. He wanted it badly. He wanted to own Naruto. Love bites and scratch marks weren't enough. He wanted physical possession of Naruto's body. If he hadn't been so tired he would have taken Naruto right in that moment, not even bother to wake him up, not even bother to think, just take him.

Not only did he want Naruto, he didn't want anyone else to have him. His pulse grew more rapid and he chewed his tongue inside his mouth trying to think of some way he could have Naruto all to himself, no Kakashi or Sakura or Leaf village at all, just him and Naruto.

"Naruto," he whispered breathlessly in Naruto's ear. "We should leave. We should go away together. We don't need the Leaf village; they'll survive without you. We can leave and then we could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Naruto, Naruto?"

But he was already asleep.

The excited smile fell off of Sasuke's face and he felt his body sink into the bed. At first he couldn't settle down because of the excitement he'd been feeling but slowly he realized that he could talk to Naruto in the morning, or during the day. They had time.

He pulled the sheet over them both a bit more then closed his eyes for good, only the tiniest hint of unease tinting his dreams as he slept.

* * *

There were quite a few things Sakura really didn't like about Naruto. For instance, she didn't like his voice. Not that there was anything wrong with it, really, she had just heard it so often and so loudly it lost its charm. It had been rough and scratchy to begin with and just made Naruto sound younger than he was. There was nothing sensual about it, at least not in her mind (though, in her defense, _she'd_ never heard him growl her name passionately through his teeth in that very same voice).

Sakura also didn't like the color orange. She never had to be honest. Orange clashed horribly with both red and pink, the colors that looked best with her complexion. Now, this wasn't a huge deal and Sakura was nowhere near superficial enough to let a little thing like clashing colors ruin her relationship (or what she would like to be a relationship). It wasn't a big deal, just a small annoyance (even more annoying when she noticed how nicely orange complemented dark blues, blacks and purples).

Sakura truly loved Naruto from the bottom of her heart. True, she hadn't started out that way, but over their years together she had seen him do far to many amazing things to even count, more than enough to change her opinion of him and maybe even fall in love with him. She felt about Naruto a bit like an older sister, but she tried not to think about that because that would make it weird for her to like him like she did. And she did like him. She did.

Sakura was _pretty sure_ that she did.

She knew there were a lot of really great things about Naruto, but there were also some things she just didn't love.

She didn't totally love that he was a pervert. At least, he was supposed to be a pervert.

_Last night he wasn't being a pervert at all, _She thought as she slipped into her clothes and out of her bedroom. _Even thought I was coming onto him so strong he didn't even seem to care._

Her mood brightened. Maybe he was learning to be cool. Sasuke's cool indifference had always been one of the things that was so attractive about him, at least to her. If Naruto was learning how to act more mature and less perverted that might not be so bad.

As she walked into the kitchen she saw Kakashi out on the back porch staring off into the sunrise dreamily. Her thoughts trailed back to Naruto. Perhaps last night she hadn't been clear enough. She smiled, having just thought of a nice idea. She would make Naruto a special breakfast and confess to him for real. She quickly tied her hair back and set to work, humming a tune as she began pulling out a few fruits and ingredients from around the large kitchen.

There were many things Sasuke loved about Naruto.

The funny thing about that though, was that not so long ago, all those things he loved about Naruto were more likely to be things he _hated_ about Naruto.

It just goes to show, the line between love and hate is one of the thinnest lines there is.

Sasuke loved the way Naruto smiled. He loved Naruto's face, from his whiskered cheeks to his bright blue eyes. He loved Naruto's hair, running a hand through it as he lay beside a still sleeping Naruto on the bed they had shared the night before. Naruto's hair was much softer than he would have expected it to be, and so _bright_.

Sasuke actually loved Naruto's voice, and thought nothing of the color orange beyond that its warm quality fit Naruto like a glove, and Sasuke, contrary to Sakura, rather liked that Naruto was a pervert. It would make things much easier for him in the long run.

And yet, as he tried to sit up, only to find one of Naruto's legs sprawled across his legs, with Naruto's arm across his chest, Sasuke found that he did not, actually, love Naruto when he was sleeping.

The sheet was halfway on the floor, dangling off one of Naruto's feet that was hanging off the side of the bed. Naruto's mouth was wide as he breathed loudly and a smidge of drool could be seen from the corner, falling onto the pillow. Sasuke was practically trapped beneath Naruto's limbs that had spread all over the bed as he slept. A twinge of annoyance seeped into Sasuke when he tried to move and Naruto kept him pinned to the bed.

"Oi, dobe, wake up!" He said thickly, nudging Naruto's ribs to try and get him to move.

Naruto did move, but instead of moving away, he rolled over and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist, snuggling his cheek against Sasuke's chest. He closed his mouth and smiled, obviously still asleep, then hummed softly in that voice Sasuke loved,

"Hmmm, Sasukeeee…"

All right, Sasuke felt his annoyance all but vanish; maybe he _did_ love Naruto when he was sleeping. Still, the dobe was heavy and Sasuke was hot so no matter how adorable he looked all curled up beside him, Sasuke still playfully pushed him off the side of the bed, effectively waking him up.

"Wah-!" Sasuke heard as Naruto disappeared over the edge of the bed and landed with a thump on the floor.

Back in the kitchen, Sakura heard that thump and smiled cheerfully. _Good, Naruto's awake! I just need to put some finishing touches on this then I'll go get him._

"What was that for?" Naruto grumbled as he sat on his knees looking over the bed at Sasuke. The dark haired Uchiha just smirked back then leaned forward to place a hand in Naruto's hair. He noticed the twinkle in Naruto's eye too late and in a second found himself on the floor too. Naruto pushed him up against the tall frame of the bed then sat on Sasuke's lap and placed his arms on either side of Sasuke's head.

He looked down at Sasuke and gulped, obviously embarrassed and nervous about what he was doing. Neither of them were completely comfortable with this type of thing yet, but they both wanted it so badly they couldn't stop themselves. He started sliding a hand up Naruto's side, his skin felt warm and smooth and the touch made Naruto blush and smile sheepishly, as thought he felt like he shouldn't be enjoying what Sasuke was doing so much. Sasuke felt, as he stared up into Naruto's bright blue eyes, that there was not a damn thing in the world besides Naruto, and he'd never been happier. He wished it were true, but the next thing that happened proved him very wrong.

The door opened too fast for either of them to change position. The only thing they could do was turn towards the opening door in horror then look up into Sakura's smiling face before she realized what she was seeing inside the room. There was a crash as the beautifully constructed tray laden with the breakfast Sakura had made fell to the floor.

She just stared at them, looking from their shocked, guilty faces to Naruto's arms around Sasuke's neck and Sasuke's hand resting on Naruto's hip. Her lower lip trembled faintly and when she spoke it was soft and sounded far away.

"I was worried you were fighting because I heard…"

She glanced first at Sasuke's bed with the sheet fallen completely off and two pillows laying across each other at odd angles, then over at Naruto's bed, still made from the day before. She had the faintest memory appear in her mind of the time Naruto had been pushed into Sasuke and their mouths touched. Surely she was just jumping to conclusions and there was a logical explanation for this, just like that time. A small smile formed on her face and she said in a polite tone,

"I'm confused. That's it, isn't it? I'm just confused."

Naruto started to climb off Sasuke's lap but Sasuke grabbed his arm and held him there. Sakura looked surprised.

"Sakura-" Naruto started to say, but Sasuke cut him off.

"No. If you're confused, Sakura, then I'll show you."

And with that, he grabbed the back of Naruto's head and forced his lips onto Naruto's while holding his other hand at the small of Naruto's back possessively. Naruto didn't fight, but he didn't kiss him back either, and when they broke apart, Naruto was staring nervously ahead, not wanting to look at Sakura. But he couldn't stand doing that to her. He gritted his teeth and turned her way wearing a horribly pained expression.

"Sakura," he said in a pleading voice. He gripped Sasuke's shoulders as if afraid he would disappear if he let go. "It's _Sasuke_."

He wanted her to understand like he understood. He wanted her to see how important it was to him that she understood. Sasuke's eyes had left Sakura and were focused on Naruto. He didn't really care how Sakura would react and he would get all he needed to know about her reaction from Naruto's face. He waited patiently as Naruto stared intently at the door, looking as though he didn't even want to risk breathing.

"It's Sasuke…" he muttered softly, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"But Naruto," Sakura replied in an equally soft voice. "It's because it's Sasuke that I don't… I don't understand. What," she hesitated, and then whispered as if afraid to ask. "…Is it?"

Sasuke turned to her, surprised. He was mostly surprised she would ask _that_ of all the things she could ask. It was a very astute question, and it caught both Sasuke and Naruto off-guard when she asked it. But it also pissed Sasuke off. He knew she didn't trust him, and she had good reason, but that anyone would dare question the way he felt about Naruto, that was inexcusable.

It wasn't as though Sasuke had fallen in love with Naruto in the past few days. Sasuke had always had strong feelings for Naruto, they'd always had strong feelings about each other. These new, slightly more physical, feelings were what Sakura was questioning. She was questioning whether that was all there was, and Sasuke resented that she would even need to ask.

"No!" He yelled, and Naruto's fingers dug even deeper into his skin, an unspoken warning for Sasuke to cool his head. "This isn't just sex!" Naruto flinched and Sakura looked surprised both at Sasuke's answer and his apparent anger. Then she became angry as well.

"What is it then?" she questioned demandingly. "Is it…?" she paused, chocking back the word.

"What else would it be?" Sasuke growled lowly. Naruto finally shook his head and climbed off of Sasuke's lap, taking a tentative step towards Sakura who was still glaring at Sasuke as he glared right back.

"Sakura? Are you upset?"

Sakura turned to Naruto, surprise plain on her face. Her voice was shrill and loud when she replied, staring at Naruto with an almost confused frown.

"Upset?" She asked. "Why would I be upset?"

Naruto looked back at Sasuke and they caught each other's gaze but remained silent, letting Sakura put it together herself.

"Should I be upset that _Sasuke_ is now taken? No! I don't want that cold-hearted jerk anyway! But Naruto on the other hand, I might be upset about losing him. How come everyone gets to have someone but me? Why would I be upset about that, huh?"

Sakura's anger was building and Sasuke was all but impervious to her tantrums, he always had been, but Naruto was not so lucky. Sasuke saw his shoulders come up to his ears as he braced himself for an attack. Sakura's fists clenched dangerously and Sasuke took a deep breath.

"Is it because I'm a girl? Is that it? Does nobody like girls anymore?"

"I like girls, Sakura-" Naruto tried to butt-in.

"Obviously not enough! And not girls like me! First Sasuke here broke my heart and then- and then-" She was starting to tear up. "You too, Naruto? I trusted you! I liked you! I liked you a lot! I wanted to _be_ with you and now I can't and it's all _Sasuke's_ fault! Why is he always getting in the way? Why do we have to suffer because of him, Naruto?"

"Because he's Sasuke. Sakura, you never had to suffer for him. I told you, I told _everyone_ that I would shoulder Sasuke's pain, I would do it, no one else!"

"Is this what you call 'shouldering his pain,' Naruto? Letting him put his tongue down your throat-"

"That's quite enough, Sakura." Kakashi said as he stepped into the room and placed a hand over Sakura's eyes. "You are not really mad at Naruto, you're just upset."

He looked up at Naruto sadly then to Sasuke and said, "You comfort him and I will handle her."

He led Sakura sobbing out of the room and Naruto fell to the floor. Sasuke had heard what Kakashi wanted of him, but comforting had never been his strong suit. At the same time, seeing Naruto so hurt made him feel bad, especially taking into account everything Sakura had just said that blamed everything on him. He took a deep breath.

"Kakashi's right." He said flatly. Naruto didn't seem to hear him.

"What am I doing?" the blonde shinobi asked quietly. "After everything, is this really how it has to be? Sakura _hates_ me."

"No, she doesn't." Sasuke shook his head, just a little bit amused at Naruto over-dramatizing the situation. "She'll get over it after some time."

"But she was right," Naruto said in a hushed voice. "You're you. I'm me. We can't be doing this."

"Why not?"

"Because!" Naruto replied, as if it were obvious.

Sasuke stopped as Naruto stared at him seriously. After a moment Sasuke chuckled softly and Naruto's eyes widened.

"You're adorable," Sasuke said lightly.

He loved Naruto's expression after he spoke. It looked almost exactly like the old Naruto, even when Naruto frowned at him, baring his teeth angrily.

"I know what you're doing! Fuck you, Sasuke!"

"Naruto."

Sasuke had to keep himself from smirking. All it took was for him to say Naruto's name and his dobe visibly relaxed. He swallowed and stared sharply at Sasuke. Sasuke leaned forward and touched the side of Naruto's face gently. As he led Naruto's chin with his hand towards his lips Sasuke wondered how he knew what to do so easily. He'd never done anything like this before, or even thought about it for that matter, but with Naruto it came so easily. He commanded the kiss with his hand just gently touching Naruto's chin and made sure the meaning behind the gesture was very clear.

_I love you._

Naruto groaned and turned his face away. Sasuke smiled and whispered into Naruto's ear,

"You know I'm not lying."

"Dammit…" Naruto cursed, turning back towards Sasuke and catching his eye.

Sasuke was glad he could comfort Naruto like Kakashi had told him to. Their silent, shared gaze gave Naruto the confidence that he needed to realize that what they were doing wasn't the end of the world like Sakura had made it seem. It didn't matter that they were them, in fact, it made more sense that they were them and doing what they were doing. He could hardly believe how comfortable it was to have Sasuke so close to him, touching him, kissing him. It was so easy. He must have missed Sasuke more than he thought he had, just as a friend. He had many friends, but none like Sasuke. Sasuke was Sasuke, and he was special. Naruto knew now that that would never change.

Sasuke saw the content look on Naruto's face and decided to bring up the topic he had been mulling over in his mind since the night before. He held onto Naruto's hand and fixed him with that dark gaze as he said in a commanding voice,

"Let's leave."

Naruto looked as though he didn't understand at first, and Sasuke realized that may not have been the best way to go about propositioning his idea, not with his track record.

"Even if Sakura doesn't hate you- and she doesn't –she's still not going to be happy. She wasn't happy anyway, leaving the village. She didn't do it for me. She did it for you. Kakashi's the same. If we left they could go home and you wouldn't have to worry about my burdening anyone else. It could just be you and me."

Just from saying it aloud Sasuke realized two things. One, the idea of running away with only Naruto by his side sounded wonderful. They could live under the radar. No more ninja and battles and war. He didn't need anyone but Naruto, of that he was sure. Two, Naruto would _never_ be able to live that way. It wasn't just because his dream was to be hokage, and it wasn't because Naruto loved Sasuke less than Sasuke loved Naruto, it was just because Naruto was a social person. He loved people, especially the people in the Leaf village he had spent a good part of his life protecting and had only recently earned their respect. Sasuke knew that even if Naruto agreed to run away with him, he wouldn't be happy. But still, Sasuke wanted to try.

"We could do anything we wanted. It would make everyone happy…" he trailed off as Naruto looked down sadly. Sasuke stopped and released Naruto's hand, standing up to put a shirt on and tossing Naruto his shirt as well.

"Just think about it."

Naruto got dressed slowly which made Sasuke realize he was still nervous about facing Sakura. He made sure to wait for Naruto to get himself together to open the door and follow the slow moving blonde out of the room. He closed the door behind him and the sound of it clicking closed echoed down the hallway through the rest of the house.

"Naruto?" Sakura's voice called out from the living room. Naruto froze and Sasuke stopped just behind him, placing a hand on his back to keep him from retreating into the bedroom.

Sakura appeared at the end of the hall and walked towards Naruto looking fierce. She stopped before him and Naruto leaned back into Sasuke.

Smack!

She slapped him hard across his face, turning his head hard to the left and leaving a noticeable pink mark. Naruto even swore she used just a bit of chakra to make it sting even worse. The next moment she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

"Kakashi was right… I wasn't mad at you, I was just frustrated! And…" She hesitated, pulling away from the hug to give a little shrug. "I was surprised."

"Y- yeah…" Naruto muttered, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his head with an awkward smile plastered on his still tingling face.

"Yeah, Naruto, of course I'm surprised! You've always been so… not gay, and all of the sudden- But I had always thought… no! Never mind! Haha!"

"What?" Naruto asked morosely.

Sakura gazed at him as though sorry she had even said anything, but also with a hint of curiosity. She folded her arms across her stomach and held her elbows in her palms as she said with pitying interest,

"I'd always thought you were kind of, well, _obsessed_ with Sasuke. Because of how determined you were to bring him back. Even after all that time, even after even I gave up, but you wouldn't. I had thought it was just your personality but does this mean that… _for all that time_-?"

Sasuke wished he could see Naruto's face because he was sure it would be bright red. Both he and Sakura waited for his reply but finally he muttered so low it didn't even sound like Naruto,

"…I think so…"

Sakura's eyebrows shot up then lowered in an expression of empathy. Sasuke felt a tightness in his chest, more guilt, but it was small and he knew there was nothing he could do about it but bear it because for as long as he was with Naruto there would be guilt, just like for as long as Naruto was with Sasuke there would be anger. It was just an element of their relationship they would have to learn to live with. Their little crosses to bear.

"But it wasn't-" Naruto began again, much more loudly this time. "I mean, it wasn't like _this_ it was just- It's- it's… _it's Sasuke!_"

She raised an eyebrow at him and Sasuke smirked the tiniest bit behind him.

"You mean it wasn't like what you were doing in your room a minute ago?"

Sasuke saw Naruto's shoulders fall in defeat and the back of his neck and ears were redder than his cheek from where Sakura slapped him.

"Ahhh…" Naruto muttered, moving around uncomfortably, fidgeting in between Sasuke and Sakura in the hallway. "Yeah that part is, um, new."

"I don't think I get that part." Sakura replied honestly.

"You think _I _get it?"

"Well don't you?"

"No!" Naruto said in exasperation, throwing his hands up as he spoke. "Not really! It just happened and it's all because _he is Sasuke. _If he weren't Sasuke then it would all be different."

His hands dropped and the left arm reached behind him just a bit to where Sasuke was standing and his fingers grabbed a hold of the fabric of his pants to let Sasuke know he hadn't forgotten that he was there nor did he mean anything by what he had said. Sasuke's own hand drifted over and lightly touched the top of Naruto's hand to tell him he understood.

"What difference does it make that it's Sasuke?" Sakura asked but the moment she said it she knew the answer to her question. She sighed, staring at Naruto with an unconvinced frown. It was the expression of an older sibling judging the actions of a younger one. Obviously she couldn't hate Naruto- but she had every right to question his decisions, especially when they were so life changing like this one would be if he were serious. And he did look serious. He had that very Naruto-like look on his face. He was set in what he was saying, very sure of himself. That was always how Naruto was. There was no room to waver in Naruto's mind. She just hoped Sasuke was as sure.

With an angry frown she finally turned to him, catching his eye and snarling silently. The next minute she pushed past Naruto and violently grabbed Sasuke's sleeve at his shoulder, pulling him down the hall and around the corner, heading for the front door.

"Sakura!" Naruto said nervously, following after them.

Sasuke turned back as he continued being pulled and rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, Naruto."

Naruto stopped and nodded, allowing Sakura to pull Sasuke all the way outside and down the front stairs. Sasuke braced himself for the talking-to he knew he was about to receive, sure that there would be many threats involved, especially since it was Sakura.

* * *

**OKAY. Omg this chapter is long and it doesn't actually accomplish anything I need it to accomplish in fact it just makes my work harder for me but oh well. Sorry it took so long, school has been tough. Also, I didn't edit this so... sorry. XD**

**Thanks for reading and please review! XD**

**KeikoPanda102**


	9. Part 8

Part 8:

Sakura led Sasuke away from the house and into the woods, towards where he and Naruto had gone on their walk the day before, but she stopped as soon as the cabin was out of sight, slamming him up against a tree and pinning him with her arm crushing his throat.

"Did you do anything to Naruto?" She said each syllable with specific emphasis but Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"What could I do?" He choked out though her arm was crushing his windpipe.

She glared and Sasuke suddenly saw Kakashi appear from behind a tree and watch the scene quietly. He knew Sakura must have known he was there but she didn't even glance at him, intent on trying to drill holes in Sasuke's face with her death glare.

"What could you do? Don't play dumb, _Uchiha._" Sasuke narrowed his gaze. "I know how powerful your sharingan is, and so does Kakashi, so don't try and act like it would be impossible to brainwash Naruto into doing the kinda stuff I saw this morning-"

"Sakura," Sasuke exclaimed lowly, angered by her accusation. He didn't try and push her off even though he could have if he wanted to, just calmly glared at her then Kakashi and replied, "Didn't you hear him back there? He said-"

"He sounded confused to me, and Sakura and I find that suspicious." Kakashi said monotonously.

"You have to be kidding me." Sasuke muttered under his breath. "I didn't do anything to Naruto. He was the one who confessed first."

Sakura blinked in shock and her hold on him loosened, making it a bit more confortable pressed against the tree.

"R- really?"

"For the most part," Sasuke admitted. "He didn't say anything but…" He trailed off. It was hard to describe how Sasuke had just known what Naruto was trying to say so easily and how they communicated with each other. He shook his head as much as Sakura's arm would allow and frowned.

"We understand each other, and he would say the same."

"Do you love him?" Sakura asked breathlessly.

Sasuke's nose twitched but as she stared into his eyes he felt like he wanted to give her a real answer. She might never believe him if he didn't, she probably still wouldn't believe him, but it was worth a try.

"I haven't known anything but hatred for a long time," he began, and Sakura slowly lowered her arm and took a step back, listening very intently as he spoke.

"And I hated Naruto the most." He paused then looked up into the leaves of the trees all around them, memories flooding back as he opened his mouth again.

"He was… I don't know. He was just supposed to be Naruto, the weak loser who couldn't do anything. He wasn't supposed to be stronger than me, he wasn't even supposed to be _as_ strong as me and I hated him for that. I hated him for being stronger and having more friends and being happy. I hated him because he was happy. But mostly I hated him because he cared.

"And then, even when I told him to his face that I hated him, even after trying to kill him with my bare hands, desperate to make him stop caring- _he still cared_.

"I hated him more than anyone after I killed Itachi. And he still cared. He cared about me, so I hated him. But when I didn't have anything left there was no reason to hate him anymore. But those strong feelings of hatred were still there, and when I saw him again and he told me that he still, _still_ cared… those strong feelings appeared again but this time it wasn't hatred."

Sasuke stopped and was silent for a while then looked down from the tops of the trees at Sakura and said flatly,

"I had to hate him before I could love him."

Sakura lowered her head, almost in acceptance, then muttered unhappily,

"But why does it have to be sexual? Couldn't you just love him like a brother?"

Sasuke frowned thoughtfully. He hadn't thought about it like that. At this point it seemed trivial, he was already full of an insatiable desire for Naruto's body. But she was right; love didn't always have to be physical.

"I believe," Kakashi interrupted softly. "That if they weren't behaving sexually towards each other they would instead be trying to kill each other in senseless battles. Not out of anger or hatred, but just because they seem to need an excuse to touch one another. Does that make sense, Sasuke?"

Sasuke blinked a few times thoughtfully, then smirked rather unnoticeably and nodded.

"Besides Sakura," Kakashi said with a sly, devious tone of voice. "Is it really so bad? Remember what I said earlier?"

Sakura brightened with a smile then blushed in a somehow disturbing way. The whole situation made Sasuke uneasy and he felt as though he really didn't want to know what Kakashi had told Sakura earlier.

"Can I go back now?" he asked with an annoyed sigh.

"No!" Sakura said loudly. "You stay here. I need to talk to Naruto before I'll be sure you're telling the truth!"

She quickly rushed back to the cabin as Kakashi leaned back against a tree and gave Sasuke an amused smile.

"I did warn you, didn't I?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and leaned against his own tree to wait to go back inside the cabin and continue with what he and Naruto had been doing that morning.

* * *

Sakura crashed inside the house and ran into the living room where Naruto leapt up from the couch looking as though he had just spent the last 10 minutes worrying silently to himself.

"Sakura?" He asked as she stopped in front of him abruptly.

He started backing away when she reached out to touch his face but she grabbed his shoulder tightly and opened his right eye wide with her fingers, staring in it as he held his breath. She then turned his head from left to right and stretched his cheeks out as far as they would go.

"Hut are oo ooing Akura?" He asked, and she released his cheeks, taking a step back. He rubbed his face as he eyed her cautiously.

"What was that for?"

"Have you been having any blackouts lately? Been feeling like you can't control your actions?"

"No?" Naruto said questioningly, wondering what exactly Sakura was getting to.

"You're sure? You've been acting like yourself?"

"Why wouldn't I be? What's going on, Sakura? Where are Sasuke and Kakashi?"

Sakura exhaled and fell onto the couch. Naruto slowly sat down on the chair opposite her.

"I was just making sure Sasuke didn't do anything to you to make you…"

Naruto's face darkened then he looked sad.

"Sakura…" He said softly. "You don't trust me? Don't you think I know if I'm, if I'm-"

"Of course I trust _you_, Naruto! It's him I didn't trust and this is all so sudden and so strange to me I just wanted to make sure. I was only trying to look out for you!"

He gave a half-smile to show he forgave her and she smiled back, then looked as though she remembered something and smiled even wider.

"Hey Naruto, you know how Kakashi took me away this morning after I found you and Sasuke on top of each-"

"We- we weren't even doing anything I swear!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"Forget about that! When Kakashi brought me out on the back porch to calm me down I was crying a lot. I wasn't even listening to anything he said, so he had to do something crazy to shock me into calming down."

"Something crazy?" Naruto asked suspiciously. "Like what?"

Sakura smiled wide, her eyes gleaming with the thrill of spilling a long-questioned secret. She bit her tongue and looked around the room. Then she leaned in and Naruto followed suit as she whispered shrilly,

"He showed me what was beneath his mask!"

Naruto's mouth dropped nearly to the floor then the next moment a wide smile replaced his shocked expression, breaking across his face like the first rays of sunshine after the lightless night. It was more than just excitement about Kakashi's face; it was a sense of relief washing over him that made his smile shine so brightly. Sakura really wasn't angry with him! There she was, just like always, sharing some silly gossip with him. She smiled back and he knew they were only meant to be good friends. He hoped they would be able to stay good friends forever.

"So!" He exclaimed, and then dropped his voice when she looked around and started shushing him. "What's under that mask?"

Sakura giggled, taunting Naruto even more with her secret knowledge. Then she started shaking her head back and forth along with her quiet laughter.

"I can't tell," she said. "He made me promise not to tell."

"No fair!" Naruto yelled as Sakura continued giggling. It was true he felt like he was missing out on some valuable information but Naruto couldn't bring himself to be mad at her.

"It worked though," she said cheerfully when he laughter finally slowed. "I stopped crying right away because of the shock. And then he told me…" Naruto couldn't make out the rest because she was giggling too much. Her face grew red and he raised an eyebrow. Through her laughter he thought he heard Konohamaru's name.

"What _about_ Konohamaru?" He asked, and she stopped laughing, covering her mouth to hold her giggles back.

"Nothing!" She replied quickly, raising Naruto's suspicions. Her face was starting to shine even brighter pink than her hair.

"Sakura…" Naruto said warningly.

"Kakashi just reminded me about- about that time, um, do you remember that stupid perverted jutsu Konohamaru made up with the two girls?"

Naruto nodded, smiling as he remembered his pride with Konohamaru, his pupil's, ingenuity in creating that variation of the sexy jutsu.

"Do you remember the jutsu he did… after that one?"

An image appeared in his mind of a naked Sasuke on top of an equally clothes-less Sai. Even when he'd seen it then he'd thought it was gross. He remembered it leaving a distinctly bad taste in his mouth, not only because it was wildly homosexual, but because he hadn't been ready then to come to terms with his attraction to Sasuke in that moment. Thinking about it now it just made him a little bit sick- and angry.

"What about it?" He asked with a grimace. Before Sakura could even reply, Naruto remembered what her reaction had been to Konohamaru's jutsu and he made a face, exclaiming loudly,

"Sakura! You aren't thinking of me and Sasuke doing stuff like that, are you?"

Her blush appeared again and Naruto crossed his arms across his chest, staring at her with exaggerated disappointment.

"Don't look at me like that Naruto, I can't help it! It's kinda… well it's kinda _hot_!"

"I don't want you looking at _me_ like that!"

Sakura began laughing while Naruto tried his hardest to keep his face seriously annoyed, though her good mood was making it quite difficult for him. Then slowly Sakura's giggle started to die out and she stared at Naruto gravely.

"Naruto, I still don't like this. Sasuke is-"

"Don't, Sakura." Naruto said calmly, and with a sense of finality, shaking his head and breaking her gaze to look towards the front of the house. Sakura exhaled and Naruto stood to his feet.

"Where is he?"

"I left him a little ways into the woods."

"Alone-!"

"No, of course not. With Kakashi. What does it matter if I were to leave him alone anyway? Don't you trust him?"

"Yeah… I do! I do trust him!" Naruto said vehemently after started out a bit skeptically. Sakura was giving him a disbelieving look. "It's complicated Sakura."

"You don't say," she replied dryly.

He shot her a dirty look then smiled showing he was only joking. The next minute he headed towards the door without another look back.

"I'll go get them."

"Take your time," Sakura called right before the front door closed behind him. It wasn't just their relationship that was complicated, even the way Sakura felt about it was complicated. But she did know that she believed in love… and maybe it was about time Sasuke and Naruto started believing in it too.

* * *

Sasuke closed his eyes and allowed the breeze blowing in from the valley to ruffle the bangs that usually hung around his eyes. It was relaxing and peaceful in the woods, but that didn't mean he wanted to be there for long. Kakashi had taken out his little book about 30 seconds after Sakura had gone back in the house. Sasuke could hear a page being turned every few minutes. He didn't really appreciate being babysat but Kakashi didn't bother him too much, not as much as Sakura did at least.

The next moment he heard the crunching leaves of someone approaching. He opened his eyes and saw Naruto step in between two trees and smile at him with a look of relief on his face. He didn't even seem to notice Kakashi standing there, and it didn't take long for Sasuke to forget he was there as well. Naruto stepped closer to Sasuke and said brightly,

"There you are!"

Kakashi's eyes widened when he witnessed the scene of Naruto approaching Sasuke, standing much closer than most would deem normal, not to mention how comfortable they both looked around each other. Sasuke stood up straight, stepping away from the tree he had been leaning against and the corners of his mouth were almost turned up in what might even be called a smile- but that wasn't the amazing thing. The amazing thing was the way his eyes changed when he saw Naruto. They grew bright, kind, and maybe even… loving. And Naruto's looked just the same when he saw Sasuke.

When Sasuke carefully leaned in to kiss Naruto's ear, Kakashi silently crept away from the scene and back towards the cabin. He was in a good mood for some reason. Seeing other's happy made him feel happy and God knows… Naruto and Sasuke deserved to be happy.

"S- Sasuke quit it!" Naruto placed his hand in between Sasuke's face and his ear, pushing Sasuke away playfully. Sasuke captured Naruto's lips next and somehow, before either of them even realized how it happened, they ended up on the ground. Sasuke began zipping down the top of Naruto's jacket. When Sasuke broke their kiss Naruto brought his hands up to cover his deep red face and said with a muffled voice,

"Uugh, Sasuke, don't you think this is weird? I mean," Naruto started rambling, his voice growing faster and faster as he went on as Sasuke looked on at him with a blank face. "Shouldn't we be, you know, fighting, or arguing or trying to out-do each other because that's more like us, you know? We shouldn't just be doing this so easily, it's not normal, Sasuke. We should be fighting, we should be-"

"Naruto," Sasuke said softly, and Naruto's wide eyes locked on him as he snapped his mouth closed with just a quiet muttering of his name. Sasuke smiled and shook his head, standing up slowly then helping Naruto to his feet next. He stared at Naruto without saying anything for a minute then he tapped the top of Naruto's head with his hand.

"Idiot. We aren't kids anymore. All that fighting and arguing was just stupid kid stuff."

Naruto thought about what Sasuke said. Maybe it wasn't just that all that fighting and arguing they used to do was kid stuff; maybe they did it because they weren't doing what they were doing now. Maybe all the fighting and arguing they used to do was just because they couldn't understand each other like they did now. Maybe it was just an excuse.

Sasuke was thinking along the same lines and about something Kakashi had said just a few moments ago when Sakura had been interrogating him.

"_I believe that if they weren't behaving sexually towards each other they would instead be trying to kill each other in senseless battles. Not out of anger or hatred, but just because they seem to need an excuse to touch one another."_

It was kind of an interesting idea, and Sasuke liked it. It explained something. He wasn't sure what exactly it explained, but it explained something.

He glanced at Naruto to see him frowning in deep thought. Sasuke couldn't help but smile, and suddenly nothing much seemed to matter anymore but Naruto. It was funny how often that happened. Why was that happening? Sasuke didn't even bother trying to answer that question.

"Don't think too hard, dobe. You'll break your brain."

"Teme!" Naruto replied automatically, looking up from his deep thought to Sasuke's face. All of the sudden he seemed to see something there he hadn't seen before. He reached out a hand and brushed the dark bangs from Sasuke's eyes.

"Hm… I just noticed," he said thoughtfully. "Your hair looks different."

"Different than what?" Sasuke asked, allowing Naruto to continue pulling his fingers through the smooth, dark hair that dangled in his eyes and around his cheeks.

"From how it looked when we were kids. It was more like… Here, I'll fix it." Naruto said, biting his tongue at the side of his mouth and pulling on the soft strands, separating the bangs in the middle of his forehead. He continued pulling and combing Sasuke's hair until he finally took a step back and smiled.

"There. Perfect. Wait!" Sasuke could feel a breeze on his forehead and he reached up to touch his hair, which was now parted in the middle and draped on either side of his face. "One more thing…"

Naruto closed one eye and looked appraisingly at Sasuke, then brought his hand up to his lips and licked his thumb. Reaching out with that same thumb, he secured one last loose hair in its proper place.

Sasuke reached up and ran a hand through his hair. He could feel the old cowlick he used to have and the nostalgic part down the center. It wasn't that much of a different hairstyle. He was a bit surprised Naruto had even noticed it.

He felt relieved somehow. He hadn't worn his hair in this style since he'd killed Itachi. Maybe it hadn't been that he'd consciously changed his hair, but it was no coincidence that he chose to cover his forehead. When he brought his hand down his fingers traced over the spot Itachi had always poked, even in his last moment. Naruto glanced at him questioningly and Sasuke dropped his hand. Having his bangs pulled back, uncovering his forehead, particularly by Naruto, was liberating in a way.

But Sasuke barely cared to think twice about that because he was thinking instead about the way Naruto's tongue had looked when he'd licked his thumb a moment before. Sasuke licked his lips to see what Naruto's reaction would be and was not disappointed; those bright blue eyes shot open wide then glazed over with a kind of beautiful lust. The tip of Naruto's tongue poked out of the corner of his lips as if testing the waters. Then he slid it along his bottom lip, moistening his skin in an agonizingly slow movement. He rolled and curled it as he stuck it farther out from his mouth until Sasuke couldn't stand it anymore and he sprung forward and had that tongue inside his mouth in one swift movement.

Naruto was quick in replying, pushing his body against Sasuke's in an almost vulgar way. His hands clutched at Sasuke's shirt as Sasuke brought a hand up and held tightly onto Naruto's face, tilting his chin in a certain direction to lead the kiss even more than he already was. As their oscillation deepened Sasuke found himself stroking Naruto's cheek desperately, bringing his other hand up and cupping Naruto's face in his hands. The feel of those rough whiskers beneath the tips of his fingers made his head spin because- _this was Naruto. _He was kissing Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. _The_ Naruto Uzumaki. And Naruto was kissing him back so passionately and he tasted so good, just like he should taste.

One of Sasuke's fingers swept across the edge of Naruto's left ear and a shiver rose up Naruto's spine like a tidal wave and his knees buckled beneath him, making him stumble forward into Sasuke. Sasuke held onto him tightly and found that he was very grateful for the tree that he had forgotten was still directly behind him. He leaned against the rough bark as Naruto pressed his mouth all the more fiercely into his, moaning eagerly into the kiss.

Sasuke realized very quickly how difficult it was to suck Naruto's tongue and breathe at the same time. He broke the kiss reluctantly, both of them already out of breath completely, and stared into Naruto's eyes. They had the same lustful glaze to them that he'd noticed before and it made Sasuke's stomach flutter unnaturally. He was trying to imagine what that look meant but his mind was blank.

All of the sudden, the skin Sasuke had been caressing on Naruto's face slid out of his hands as Naruto sunk to his knees in front of him. He then looked up at Sasuke with those same eyes and Sasuke felt his knees go weak and all the air in his lungs swept away from him in a gust of disbelief. _This was what those eyes meant?_

"Naruto-"

He couldn't speak anymore after that one word because said word had started to untie his belt and lick his lips with that moist, tentative tongue of his.

"I wanna try this…" Naruto said quietly as Sasuke bit his lower lip to keep himself from gasping for air like a fish out of water. He felt like he was hyperventilating and might pass out if Naruto went any farther, but then he noticed how Naruto was responding to the situation.

He was shaking and seemed like he was breathing twice as hard as Sasuke was. All of the sudden Sasuke relaxed almost completely. He smiled down at Naruto and put a hand on the top of his head.

"Dobe, you don't have to-"

"Shuddup! I said I wanted to do it, didn't I, teme?"

Sasuke raised his hands to show his surrender as Naruto glared up at him. When looking back to what was in front of him, he swallowed thickly and licked his lips again.

Sasuke had to close his eyes because that tongue was making a shiver run through the entire length of his body every time he saw it. A shiver that stopped and hovered right where Naruto was staring nervously.

Slowly, painfully slowly in Sasuke's case, Naruto moved his hands beneath Sasuke's shirt, sliding them up to his belly button. Next came soft lips pressing uncertainly against the skin just above the hemline of his pants.

Sasuke groaned loudly, pressing himself back against the tree. He didn't think he could take it.

As if replying to his groan, Naruto held tightly on to the inside of his thigh with one hand while the other hand began pulling down his pants. Sasuke's eyes were permanently shut closed. He knew if he looked down and saw Naruto's short blond hair beside the bulge he knew was clearly visible through his thin pants he would loose it before it even got good.

He felt that loose fabric slide over his length and Naruto's hand pull away from his thigh so the pants could fall to the ground, followed quickly by the underwear he had on beneath those pants. It seemed Naruto was impatient as well because no sooner did Sasuke feel the clear air on his skin was it replaced with the touch of Naruto's nervously twitching hands.

They both let out low groans at the same time. Sasuke's wasn't discernable as an actual word but Naruto had moaned Sasuke's name in that voice of his.

"Y- you're bigger…" Naruto said, and Sasuke could feel his breath against the most sensitive skin on his entire body when he spoke.

"Naruto!" He gasped unthinkingly, clenching his teeth and fists. He didn't even really know what Naruto had meant by that but he didn't care, his mind was filled with Naruto's voice. How could a voice turn him on so much?

His eyes were still shut tight but a moment later he felt Naruto grab a hold of his hand and he opened his eyes the tiniest bit to see Naruto smile up at him and move his hand so it was sliding through his hair and along one side of his face. Naruto closed his eyes and Sasuke could see he really enjoyed the touch. He made sure to keep his hands touching Naruto even when he started loosing his mind as Naruto began moving his hands along his hardness. In fact, touching Naruto kept him grounded somehow as the pleasure crashed over him. If he could feel those whiskers beneath his fingers then he couldn't forget that this was _Naruto_ who was giving him these feelings, and that was important to him. He didn't _want_ anyone but Naruto to do these things to him, and he especially didn't want to do these things to anyone but Naruto.

As Naruto moved his hands in an amateurishly frantic way, he left kiss-marks on the skin at Sasuke's hipbone, moaning louder than even Sasuke was. He opened his mouth and let his tongue explore the taste of that skin, making Sasuke thrust his hips without being able to stop and growl in the same way,

"Naruto, fuck-!"

Sasuke's finger's pulled at his hair and Naruto's heart felt like it would beat straight out of his chest as he pulled away and looked up at Sasuke throwing his head back against the tree trunk as sweat glistened on his chest beneath his open shirt. He licked his lips again and closed his eyes, stopping the motion he'd been doing with his hands and holding the pulsing flesh still, bringing his mouth closer as Sasuke panted breathlessly above him.

Naruto had to ignore the sensations that were building a bulge in his own pants as his eyes fluttered and his breathing quickened once again. He felt his tongue stick out to lick his lips again, but this time he closed his eyes and pressed it gently against the tip of Sasuke's length, earning him a loud groan.

Sasuke knew he wouldn't last long, he was surprised he'd lasted so far, and when he felt Naruto's tongue against his blazing hot skin he had to bite his own tongue so hard he tasted blood in his mouth a moment later to keep himself in check. What Naruto did next, he couldn't believe. He attacked Sasuke with unabashed vigor, taking him inside that wet mouth and swirling his tongue like he'd been doing it for years. He moaned and Sasuke felt it like the very earth shook beneath them.

Naruto then had to stop for a moment and breath, but as soon as his tongue touched Sasuke again, something broke in Sasuke, and he _really_ couldn't take it anymore. He pushed Naruto's head back a bit with his hands as he came, his entire body shaking because he just couldn't control it anymore.

With a shuddering breath he finished and slid down the tree trunk, no longer able to hold himself up. He opened his eyes a fraction and saw Naruto staring at him with those bright blue eyes wide and _that tongue_, the tongue that had started all this, still sticking out of Naruto's mouth on the edge of his bottom lip with Sasuke's cum dripping from it and a few other places on Naruto's face.

Sasuke's mouth fell open. He didn't know what to say, but he couldn't deny how hot it was to see Naruto's face covered in his cum. Naruto slowly pulled his defiled tongue inside his mouth and closed his eyes, blushing furiously as he swallowed.

And as much as Sasuke wanted to ask why, he didn't, because the next moment Naruto winced, and Sasuke looked down to see him try to cover up the bulge in his pants. That was all it took for Sasuke to recover from his temporary inability to think and quickly assume the dominant position of pushing Naruto firmly to the ground and reaching, as Naruto tried feebly to resist, into those ridiculous orange pants of his.

Once he pulled them off he stroked the length with his hand while Naruto held on tightly to his arm and cried out, arching his back off the grass they were on.

"Sasuke!" he kept crying out, and somehow it was almost better than what Naruto had done to him a moment ago because Sasuke _loved_ Naruto's voice, and he loved the way he could make Naruto react to him.

He knelt between Naruto's legs to return the favor and Naruto whimpered when Sasuke fearlessly let his mouth surround his length. The hardest part for Sasuke was trying to keep his head cool. He didn't want to get hard again so Naruto had to make him cum again and it be an endless cycle. He knew there was another solution but he wasn't sure in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the day was the best time to use that solution.

When he came, Naruto pulled up chunks of the earth from his hands digging into the ground. Sasuke caught it all in his mouth and made sure Naruto was looking at him when he swallowed and licked his lips with a daring smirk.

Naruto blushed helplessly and let his head fall back onto the soft grass, exhaling a low groan that sounded strangely like, "teme."

"Dobe," Sasuke said as he lied beside Naruto while he caught his breath. He turned to his side and stared at Naruto while holding his head up with his hand. Naruto looked at him from the corner of his eye and after a minute of nothing but staring, he smiled. Sasuke smiled too and reached out to wipe off Naruto's face, which still had drops of his cum splattered on it, places.

"This is so much better than fighting!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands and legs into the air, and then pulling his pants up clumsily.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied as he tied the belt closed on his pants as well. "Next time you have an enemy, just seduce him."

Naruto shot him a look and Sasuke just grabbed a hold of Naruto's hand and pulled him closer, pressing their foreheads together and muttering low,

"But then I'd have to kill him."

Naruto smiled coyly and pushed him away before laughing and running quickly up the side of the tree Sasuke had been leaning against earlier. Sasuke smiled and followed after him, trying to catch up. Naruto leapt, laughing, into a different tree, turning back to see if Sasuke was following.

Sasuke leapt into the same tree on a branch below and looked up at Naruto with a playful smile. It had been so long since he'd competed in anything with Naruto. They raced through the trees all the way back to the cabin where Sasuke finally decided it was time to catch Naruto for good and as Naruto jumped down from the tree, expecting Sasuke to jump down after him, Sasuke vanished and appeared like a flash in front of Naruto, making him crash into his chest. He looked at Sasuke, surprised, then turned away pouting as Sasuke wrapped his arms around him.

"Well sure, if you're gonna cheat…" Naruto mumbled unhappily.

"I'll always cheat if you are the prize," Sasuke replied. He didn't know what made him say something so cliché but somehow it felt right. Plus, he really loved Naruto's expression when he said it.

"Geez, Sasuke…" Naruto muttered with the blush pouring onto his cheeks. But Sasuke could see he was fighting back a smile.

And for a moment there was nothing but Sasuke and Naruto. Just the two of them in that one moment with no painful past and unknowable future, just sweet, simple love between two people.

Sasuke sighed and kissed Naruto's forehead, then Naruto did the same to him and reminded him how Naruto had fixed his hair to look like it used to look earlier that day. It made him wonder if things could really go back to the way they were, when they were team seven.

They would have to find a way to earn money eventually. And since none of them really had skills besides fighting, they were bound to find jobs that required those skills. What would their future look like?

Sasuke still wanted him and Naruto to run away together, but he'd forfeited that dream, as it was unrealistic. All he knew was that he would go wherever Naruto went, and that was good enough for him.

Something suddenly made him realize how lucky they were that things turned out the way they did. It could have been different, and it could have been bad. The physical feelings Sasuke had towards Naruto could have appeared when Sasuke still hated him. And if that had happened, well, Sasuke didn't put rape above his old morals, in fact it was positively likely.

He held Naruto close to him again and could feel both of their heartbeats rising together. When he released Naruto he reached out for his hand and found it easily, holding it tight as Naruto held his back.

"I always wanted to hold your hand, you know," Naruto said lightly. "Since we were kids."

Sasuke didn't say anything, but he smiled as they walked up the stairs and inside the front door of the cabin. Now that Sakura knew about them, they didn't have anything to hide, but when they entered the living room they had to drop hands. Someone was there that they hadn't expected.

"Bee!" Naruto exclaimed, dropping Sasuke's hand quickly and stepping forward to give Killer Bee a high five. Bee smiled then said in his usual rapping language,

"You've got a guest, you do. Actually," he paused as a figure appeared from behind him. "You've got two."

"Sai!" Naruto yelled as the pale Konoha shinobi looked Naruto up and down then stopped at his face and smiled. One of the familiar smiles that didn't really reach his eyes and meant they weren't really real.

"Hello Naruto."

* * *

**Cliffhanger! My favorite thing ever! XD **

**So, it only took like, a week to write this. That's not so bad… It's kinda short but yeah…. Okay then. Please review!**

**KeikoPanda102**


	10. Part 9

Part 9:

"Sai!"

"Hello Naruto," Sai said with a smile. He then turned to Sasuke and, without even bothering to hide the malicious edge on his voice added, "hello Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, then he smirked.

"I remember you." Sai's expression didn't flicker but Naruto, as well as Sakura, both looked nervous. "My replacement."

Sai didn't say anything so Sasuke went on, looking thoughtful as he said sarcastically,

"Let's see… where did I meet you? Orochimaru's hideout, I think. You kept going on about Naruto and next thing I knew, Naruto was there too."

"It seems you are as much of an asshole now as you were then." Sai said flatly.

"Sai!" Sakura stepped forward quickly though Sasuke hadn't even moved. "Don't take what Sai says to heart, Sasuke, he doesn't mean it sometimes."

Neither Sasuke nor Sai said anything more, but they stared at each other for a while with plain dislike written on both of their faces. Naruto interrupted their staring contest by quietly asking Sai in a slightly nervous voice,

"Sai, w- why are you here? You didn't abandon the village too, did you?"

Sai turned to him and looked down, shaking his head. When he looked back up he was smiling.

"No, I'm here on a mission."

"A mission?" Naruto repeated with surprise.

"I'm supposed to bring you back."

Naruto and the others could scarcely react to this statement before Sai pulled a roll of paper from the backpack he was wearing and handed it to Naruto, who unrolled it so quickly it was a mystery how it didn't tear. He stared reading aloud in a confused voice,

"Naruto, after serious consideration, the Hokage and her council have decided that banishment was too severe a punishment. The Leaf village needs you, as well as your accomplices, Sakura Haruno and Kakashi Hatake. After much discussion, a compromise has been decided upon. We would like… you… to…" his voice began to slow down and trail off as he read the next few sentences to himself with wide eyes. He gulped and frowned, then closed his eyes as though in pain.

Sasuke didn't like that look and was glad when Sakura grabbed the paper from him and read the next few lines aloud, although what they said didn't make him feel much better.

"We would like you to- oh my gosh, Naruto -we would like you to become the next Hokage upon your return to the Leaf Village with the- the assurance that you have cut all ties with Sasuke Uchiha!"

Sakura dropped the paper and stared at Naruto pityingly.

"Hokage, Naruto… They want you to be Hokage. It's your dream."

Sasuke saw Naruto's fists clench tightly and he closed his eyes. Was all that happiness a moment ago the only happiness they would ever have? Why did this Sai guy have to show up right now? It wasn't fair!

Sai then spoke up quietly, speaking mostly to Naruto as he said,

"The village wasn't the same without you. Everyone was in an uproar about what happened. The Hokage didn't believe Shikamaru at first. She didn't think you would leave the village that willingly."

Naruto flinched and Sasuke understood better than anyone what that flinch meant. It hadn't been so easy to leave the village. In fact, it had been horribly difficult. And it wasn't that it was willingly… he'd just had no choice.

"When she found out Sakura had left too she broke her desk in half. When she found out Kakashi had followed after you guys a few days later she threw the new desk out the window. Lady Hokage wasn't the only one that was upset either…"

**Flashback**:

The news travelled around the Leaf village quickly. From the moment the battle wearied rookie nine returned to the front gates it seemed people already knew what happened, or at least that _something_ had happened. All ten of them, not counting Akamaru, trouped through the village straight to the Hokage tower where Tsunade sat at her desk, impatiently waiting for them. Shikamaru wasted no time. He knelt to one knee and tried to keep the exhaustion from seeping into his voice as he spoke,

"Lady Hokage, I must apologize for attempting a dangerous mission like this one without your approval first, especially considering the way it turned out."

"What exactly happened?" She was trying to keep her cool but was obviously nervous from not knowing the details yet. She was looking around and counting heads to make sure no one was missing… but there were two missing, and she frowned as Shikamaru began retelling the story from the moment he heard Sasuke Uchiha was in close range to The village.

When he reached the part where Naruto announced that he would leave the village if it meant saving Sasuke, she stood from her desk and cursed loudly, making nearly everyone in the room flinch.

"I don't believe it. He agreed that easily?"

Shikamaru nodded and she cursed again then began pacing as Shikamaru went on. When he reached the part of the story where Sakura agreed to go along with Naruto if Naruto was determined not to let Sasuke die, she interrupted.

"She went with him?" She asked, making sure she'd heard right.

Shikamaru hesitated, and then nodded curtly, his face grave.

A deep growl rose in her throat and without warning, her fist came crashing down onto her desk, splitting it clear in half.

"Two of our best shinobi… banished." She mumbled more to herself than to any of the others in the room.

"I know the situation isn't the best, Lady Tsunade, but I don't believe I was wrong to banish them. Naruto chose the man who abandoned the Leaf village over his Leaf village comrades, and Sakura chose to go with him. Sasuke Uchiha _has_ a death warrant out from the land of fire. I know it was wrong to go searching for him, but I was, we were doing it for the village. We were doing it for Naruto, and he betrayed us. The best option in that situation was banishment."

Tsunade stared at him thoughtfully for a while then closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

"All of this could have been avoided if you'd have just left the Uchiha kid alone!"

"With all due respect, Lady Tsunade, we wanted to rid not only the village of Sasuke Uchiha, but Naruto as well. Without Sasuke to hold him back, I believe Naruto has the potential to be the greatest Hokage there ever was!"

"But look how it turned out!" She spat, and Shikamaru dropped his head. "But you aren't wrong… I've never liked how dependent Naruto was on Sasuke. I can't believe, after all these years, Naruto would still give up his home for Sasuke…"

All of the sudden the door to the room was busted open and in came Iruka, shouting at the top of his lungs,

"IS IT TRUE? HAS NARUTO BEEN BANISHED?"

"That's right, Iruka, and you have Nara here to blame."

"It's Naruto's fault!" Shikamaru exploded suddenly, his head towards the floor and his fists clench in anger. "He didn't have to- to fucking ruin everything! He wasn't supposed to defend Sasuke like that. I thought he would listen! I thought he would listen to reason, but he didn't! FUCK! This is all screwed up…"

Neither Ino nor Choji had ever seen Shikamaru freak out like this. He was always so cool and calculating. He obviously never imagined that Naruto would react the way he did.

"We- you're going to repeal his banishment, right Lady Hokage?" Iruka asked tentatively.

Tsunade slowly shook her head then started rubbing her temples to try and keep the headache that was threatening to overpower her from doing so.

"No," she replied quietly. "As much as I regret saying it, Shikamaru made the right decision in banishing Naruto. He'll never be hokage unless he cuts all ties with Uchiha and if you had let him go, Naruto wouldn't have rested until he talked us into letting Sasuke come back to the village. You know how single-minded he can get when it comes to Sasuke, or anything for that matter, but especially Sasuke. Maybe… maybe if we just wait this out, Naruto will come back on his own."

"How do you figure?" Iruka asked skeptically.

"We don't even know what they're thinking right now, or what Sasuke's thinking. He might try to leave them as soon as possible and then they'll come back here with their tails between their legs, finally over their delusions about Sasuke. Or they could get into a fight. I know things must be tense between the three of them, with everything Sasuke's done to them. I don't know how it would happen, but something might happen to nock some sense into Naruto's thick skull, and when it does, he'll come back on his own, and _then_ we'll repeal his banishment and everything will work out the way we want."

"But what if that doesn't happen?" Shikamaru asked, staring ahead with determination. He seemed much more confident than he had a moment ago, now completely onboard with Tsunade's thoughts. He had actually been thinking along the same lines when he banished Naruto to begin with, but hearing her say it gave him more certainty.

"We need to make sure that happens. We can't let them get comfortable. The more problems they face, the greater the chances of them fighting. Shizune!"

Shizune, who had been standing in a corner of the hokage tower, nervously watching the scene going on before her, suddenly jumped up and ran over to Tsunade, bowing her head dutifully.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade?"

"Send a hawk to all villages, particularly Sand and Cloud, stating that any village that assists Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke will be penalized by the Leaf village. I have a feeling Naruto will try to go to Sand first because of Gaara."

"Yes Ma'am!" Shizune nodded and rushed out the door to send the hawks as Tsunade continued speaking, mostly to herself.

"We cannot allow Gaara to take them in, they might become loyal to Sand and decide to stay there permanently. I don't think it should be a problem though. I've spoken to the Kazekage about Naruto and he agrees whole-heartedly that Sasuke is nothing but a problem for not just Naruto, but the entire ninja world."

She looked thoughtfully out of the window for a moment then cursed again and muttered angrily.

"Naruto… what are you thinking?"

She seemed to drift off into her own thoughts and Neji had to clear his throat to get her attention as he held up a wounded Hinata by the shoulders. Tsunade looked up when he cleared his throat and he said impatiently,

"Lady Tsunade, if everything is finished here, can the rest of us visit the infirmary for our wounds then go home?"

Tsunade seemed to notice how tired the rest of the rookie nine looked for the first time since they entered and she nodded curtly, feeling a bit sorry that she hadn't noticed it before then. They all filed out quickly, Sai leaving last, closing the door behind him in an unmotivated daze.

As the others paired off to either go to the infirmary with Neji and Hinata or to their separate homes, Sai slouched out of the hokage tower and down the dusty dirt road without really looking where he was going. It still morning and the air was cool. The people of the village were beginning their day by opening their shops and venders and sending their kids off to school. Sai saw none of that. He barely saw the road in front of him as he walked. All he saw was Naruto's determined face as he stared at each and every one of his friends, lastly at Sai, then looked away, just like that.

Sai balled his fists tightly in his pockets and shook his head. He tried telling himself he was right to not follow after Naruto, but for a moment he'd really wanted to.

But no, it was Naruto he wanted to go with, not Sasuke. And if he'd gone he would have had to suffer through being second string to Sasuke because he knew what he was to Naruto. He was a replacement. Naruto had a lot of friends. He was just another friend, but that wasn't what he wanted to be. Sai wanted to be Naruto's best friend!

But that space was already taken. By Sasuke.

From within his own mind, Sai faintly heard someone calling his name. He focused in on it until his vision cleared Naruto's face from his mind and he saw Kakashi and Yamato walking towards him from the road. They looked anxious, and Yamato's first question told him why.

"Sai, is it true? Has Naruto been banished? Everyone in the village is talking about it."

"Yes," Sai replied, glad to have some company, though he knew his fellow shinobi were only worried about Naruto. "He decided to leave with _Sasuke_ instead of let us kill him."

"That sounds like Naruto." Kakashi said with a sigh. His one gray eye looked Sai up and down then he placed a hand on Sai's shoulder gently.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you for worrying, but it has just been a long night."

"What are they going to do about Naruto?" Yamato asked, though he noticed the same things about Sai that Kakashi had.

"The Hokage has decided to wait things out. She's hoping Naruto will come back on his own, without Sasuke."

Kakashi gave a sarcastic laugh. "I hate to say it but that's quite an unrealistic idea."

"I agree," Sai added monotonously, his fatigue catching up with him and making the emotions Naruto had cultivated in him vanish. "But the Hokage has decided."

"Yeah," Kakashi said and gave Sai another friendly pat on the shoulder. "Well you look like you're about to drop dead on your feet. You'd better get home and get some rest. See you around, Sai."

"Bye Kakashi, Yamato." Sai said as he began to walk away. Though he didn't see it, Kakashi quickly jabbed Yamato in his ribs so Yamato called back to Sai from a few feet away.

"S- Sai!" Sai turned around as Yamato said loudly over the hustle and bustle that had begun to flow into the streets, "If you ever wanna talk, I'm here!"

Sai smiled and waved to show he heard then turned around and headed towards his apartment. How he made it there he wasn't quiet sure, but the second he entered his room he collapsed onto his bed and fell instantly asleep.

When he awoke, Sai felt a crushing feeling of loss. He didn't know what to do now. He reached for a book to read but the words just didn't flow into his mind like usual. He was lost. He wanted to talk to Naruto, but he knew Naruto wasn't there.

He wished he knew where Naruto was. What he was doing. How he felt.

He took a long shower and got dressed in fresh clothes, deciding he might as well leave his apartment and work on a drawing he hadn't finished yet of the tree down the road from his house. As soon as he stepped outside he was shocked out of his skin because he heard Naruto's name shouted loudly from the other end of the road.

"NARUTO DID WHAT!"

He turned his head quickly in the direction of the voice and saw Konohamaru staring unbelievingly at Iruka. Sai sighed and walked down the road, not really wanting to start another conversation about what Naruto did. He'd heard it enough. But Konohamaru and Iruka's voices carried as he walked by them and they were hard to ignore.

"He's been banished because he chose to defend Sasuke."

"Why would they banish him over something like that? He's just being a good friend, isn't he?"

_No, _Sai thought angrily, _because Sasuke doesn't deserve it._

"You'll understand when you're older, Konohamaru. Shikamaru and Lady Tsunade made a decision for Naruto's own benefit."

"His own benefit? But he's BANISHED! How could that be for his own benefit? Come on, Iruka-sensei, you don't really agree with this either, do you?"

Iruka shuffled his feet nervously then shook his head.

"No. I don't. But it's the Hokage's decision, not mine, and we have to follow it."

"Bullshit!" Konohamaru said loudly again. Sai noticed how much of Naruto was in Konohamaru and it just made him see Naruto's face clear in his mind again. He shook his head to clear it as Iruka smacked Konohamaru over the head for cursing.

"I'm serious, Iruka-sensei! I'm not gonna follow this! I'm gonna do something about it! If Naruto's banished he can't become the next hokage!"

"What exactly are you going to do?" Iruka asked scoffingly.

Sai saw a familiar sneaky glint in the corner of Konohamaru's eyes, familiar because he's seen the same glint in Naruto's eyes many times, then Konohamaru vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Iruka to shake his head silently to himself.

Sai finally walked away and found the tree he'd been drawing, flipping to the page in his sketchbook and taking out his pencil. He started to draw but didn't get very far because he realized that he wasn't concentrating nearly hard enough and it was showing in his work.

Frustrated, he closed his sketchbook and put it back in his backpack, standing up and walking down the road, heading in no particular direction. He couldn't focus in on anything. He was too annoyed. He still couldn't believe Naruto had chosen Sasuke over the leaf. Over his friends.

Over him.

Sai hated how much it hurt. He wanted the feeling of being thrown away to _go_ away. He didn't care for feelings like this.

After some time he just began drifting along the road, not paying attention to anything. He didn't notice time passing until he came across Ino and she called out to him, pulling him out of his stupor.

"Sai! Hey Sai! Over here!"

He looked up and walked over to her. She was just outside her family's flower shop and gave him a pitying smile when he approached her.

"Are you upset about all this too?"

He nodded and she placed a hand on his shoulder just like Kakashi had done the day before. Was this some sort of sign of pity that people used when they were friends? Sai didn't know, but somehow it made him feel better.

"Shikamaru is all worked up. He's still trying to convince Lady Tsunade that killing Sasuke is the only way."

Sai's expression darkened and Ino sighed.

"So you agree with him, huh? Men, all you want to do is kill. But think about it for a minute; Naruto isn't dumb. He has to see something in Sasuke that we don't, otherwise he wouldn't be doing all this, ya know?"

"I guess." Sai said slowly, not entirely agreeing. He kind of thought Naruto was just an idiot.

All of the sudden a masked shinobi appeared beside them. Ino was surprised but Sai merely nodded as a greeting.

"Sai, the Hokage would like to speak with you. She is expecting you in ten minutes."

Sai nodded and the shinobi vanished. After saying goodbye to Ino, Sai headed towards the hokage tower, arriving just on time. He entered the hokage's room and saw that Yamato was also there. He knelt on one knee, waiting for Tsunade to speak.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Sai? This isn't root and I'm not Danzo. There's no need to kneel. "

"I apologize." Sai said as he stood to his feet. "May I ask why you've called me here, Lady Hokage? Has something been heard about Naruto?"

Tsunade smiled kindly at him, which threw Sai off.

"I'm afraid not. Actually, I called you here because I would like to give you a few days to collect yourself before giving you any new missions."

"To collect myself?" Sai asked. "I'm not sure I understand. Have I done something wrong?"

"No, Sai, you haven't. We're given all of those who went on the secret mission to kill Sasuke Uchiha a few days to recuperate. You had a leg injury, from what I've heard, and you still haven't gotten it checked out.

Sai's eyes widened. He'd completely forgotten about it. It had stopped bleeding as soon as they started back to the Leaf and it hadn't even bothered him once since then.

"I'm fine. The wound on my leg is nothing. I would be happy to continue going on missions, Lady Hokage."

She smiled again.

"I'm giving you a paid vacation, don't argue with me! We will inform you if there is any news regarding Naruto's actions. Just go home and rest. I know this has been an emotional ordeal for you."

Sai wanted to argue with her, but something in her eyes made him realize it wasn't going to get him anywhere. He dropped his gaze and nodded.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

As he walked silently out the door he saw Yamato smile at him and he tried to smile back but nothing came. It seemed his depression over Naruto abandoning him was growing. For the next few days he didn't hear anything unless it related to Naruto.

He was upset when he heard they had made it to Sand. According to Shikamaru, who had spoken to Temari, Naruto was even more determined to stick with Sasuke than before. He'd even yelled at Gaara for not taking them into Sand.

Sai spent most of his time walking aimlessly along the streets of the Leaf with his hands in his pockets and his mind back in the clearing where they had had their battle with Sasuke. He just couldn't get Naruto's face out of his head. He barely even realized he was being called to at first when he heard a voice coming from the side of the road in his direction.

"Hey you, Kid! Yeah, with the glum expression and the pale skin!"

Sai looked up from the street and over to the familiar ramen stand Naruto always wanted to go to. The owner was calling him over cheerfully.

"You're friends with Naruto, aren't you? You came here with him to eat a few times. I remember."

Sai nodded, wondering what this man wanted from him.

"I was wondering if you've seen him recently. He usually comes by today but he hasn't been here yet. He's not on another mission is he?"

"You haven't heard?" Sai asked curiously.

"Heard what?" The man asked as his daughter leaned in to hear what Sai was going to say. She'd been worried about their favorite customer's absence as well.

"Naruto has been banished." Sai said flatly.

Their reactions were instantaneous.

She gasped and he frowned angrily.

"No," he said slowly. "That can't be right. Not Naruto. He's supposed to be Hokage someday."

Sai frowned. _See what you did, Naruto? Everyone believes in you and you just threw it away for that fucking asshole Sasuke. Why are you such a moron?_

"Naruto went against Leaf shinobi and was banished for it. Sakura was banished along with him. The girl with the pink hair Naruto always used to flirt with."

Both Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku, and Ayame, his daughter, continued to talk in a panicked way about their best customer, leaving Sai with nothing else to do but walk away. It annoyed him to see yet another person who cared about Naruto worrying about him when he knew Naruto probably didn't even realize what his leaving meant to everyone.

The next day Sai discovered that Kakashi had abandoned the village to join Naruto and Sakura. He wasn't the only one who was angry. He met up with Yamato who said that he "couldn't believe Kakashi would do something like this."

Mostly, Kakashi's actions made Sai think harder about leaving to join Naruto as well. He thought that maybe if he did that, the feelings of betrayal would go away.

He started walking towards the front gate of the Leaf nearly every day. At first he never made it all the way there, but turned around halfway and became angry with himself for even thinking of abandoning the village. And yet the next day he walked the same path, and got closer every time he tried.

Eventually he stopped and stared at the large gate for hours, debating within himself what he should do. He did this for more days than he even remembered, but he could never bring himself to go through that gate. He didn't know what he would do if Naruto told him to go back.

Finally he was called into the Hokage tower once again, and this time Tsunade looked serious. Shikamaru was there too, as well as a few other shinobi Sai didn't recognize. Tsunade told him they had had enough waiting around for Naruto. He was too valuable to the village for him to be gone so long.

"The situation is getting out of hand," Tsunade said with her fingers pressed against her forehead in frustration. "People come barging in my office once a day to tell me they want Naruto back. Random citizens along with shinobi! Why a ramen shop owner cares so much I don't know but that's not even the worst of it. That little brat Konohamaru has set booby traps all over the tower and is trying to put together a strike until Naruto comes back. I can't have a shinobi strike on my hands along with everything else."

Sai nodded his understanding then Shikamaru stepped forward to describe the mission in detail.

They explained that he would have to find Naruto and deliver a message stating that they wanted him to return, they would even make him Hokage- _if _he came back with only Sakura and Kakashi.

Hoping dearly that it would work, Sai set out through those big gates without thinking twice, now that he had a purpose for going through them, a mission; to bring Naruto back.

**End Flashback. **

"…The Leaf... isn't the Leaf without you, Naruto. You have to come home."

Naruto stared down at the paper on the floor sadly then he frowned and shook his head, looking back up at Sai angrier than anything else.

"No," he said firmly. "They want to make me Hokage? That's a joke! It's a bribe, that's all it is. If I accept it now I wouldn't have earned it! It's out of the question anyway," he added morosely, looking away again in no particular direction, though he caught Sasuke's eye momentarily when he did. "I can't give them what they're asking for."

Naruto was looking away so thankfully he didn't see the hurt in Sai's eyes that mimicked the hurt that had been there when Naruto left the first time. All of the sudden he became very angry.

"Why can't you?" he screamed at Naruto, making the blonde flinch back in guilt. "Because of him?" He shook his hand in Sasuke's direction and although Sakura looked awfully nervous at the scene unfolding before her, Sasuke didn't make a move. He looked as though he barely even saw Sai.

Kakashi stepped in suddenly and addressed Killer Bee with an uncomfortable smile.

"Er, Bee, would you like a drink out on the porch? I've still got some sake left over from the jar you gave us the other day."

"I'm afraid I don't drink, but I like the way you think." He quickly followed Kakashi out onto the porch, glad to be out of the middle of whatever was going on between the three men inside. When they left, Sai shook his head and seemed to not have forgotten where he had been heading before Kakashi interrupted.

"I don't understand this, Naruto! I don't understand you! Haven't you had enough yet? This faggot asshole doesn't care about you, so why should you care about him?"

"Sai, no!" Sakura gasped, looking back and forth between Sai and Sasuke, the tension in the room making the air buzz even if Sasuke stayed completely still, unfazed.

"Dammit, Naruto!" Sai cursed, his hair flying in his face as anger consumed him. "Fucking, defend yourself! Why can't you leave this guy alone? He left you and the village _years_ ago! He obviously doesn't care! But you have friends and people who love you that _do_ care, and they are in the Leaf where you belong! Don't make up some bullshit about friendship because there is a limit, and Sasuke passed that limit when he decided to _kill_ everyone from the Leaf."

Naruto looked as though he wanted to put his hands over his ears and curl into a ball. Sasuke wasn't sure what to do so he just remained standing still. He knew when to step in if the need arose. He was just _waiting_ for a chance to go at this guy who was daring to question him and his feelings for Naruto. This guy didn't even _know_ him. How dare he bring up the past when he had no idea what Sasuke had been through? Naruto was the only one who was allowed to talk about his past because Naruto understood. Naruto was special.

Sai didn't appreciate that Naruto wasn't even bothering to reply. His anger just grew to the point where he couldn't even stop himself. He didn't think he was even capable of feeling so much rage, but it just kept coming and coming from somewhere deep in his gut until screams came flying from his mouth, aimed at everyone, everyone who was making him so angry.

"YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HATE HIM! THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING HE'S DONE! ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID, NARUTO? STOP BEING A MORON AND A COWARD AND MAN THE FUCK-"

"Don't you dare," the time had finally come for Sasuke to intervene. Naruto's blue eyes shot open wide when he stepped between him and Sai, glaring with his lips pressed tightly together until he spoke with a menacing growl,

"You can say anything you want about me. I could give a damn. But do not, _do not_, say things about Naruto that are untrue. Only I am allowed to call him a moron, and _no one_ is allowed to call Naruto Uzumaki a coward."

Sai was taken aback for a moment but regained his composer much faster than anyone expected. He stared right back into Sasuke's face and replied,

"Bold words coming from _you_. _You,_ the reason Naruto's been _banished_ from his home, separated from him friends, and been made to give up his _only dream._ You, who have done nothing, _nothing_ but hurt him and tear him down. The reason half the village is in an uproar and people are striking and complaining and crying over Naruto's banishment is _you_."

Finally something broke through to Naruto. He looked around Sasuke, anguish written clear on his face.

"Striking? Crying? Are people really-"

"Of course they are, Naruto!" Sai yelled, suddenly realizing this angle was the best way to make Naruto listen, to make him understand. "You're one of the most important people in the Leaf village! Everyone misses you, Naruto! You have to come back! Do you get it now?"

Slowly, Naruto shook his head, backing away towards the front door.

"No, no, no, no, no, no…"

"Naruto!" Sakura reached out to him, but he moved away, closer to the door.

"I need to think!" he said before exiting the house in a bright orange flash. "I need to think alone!"

The room after Naruto left was silent. Sakura thought someone had taken a vacuum and sucked all the air out of the room so no sound could penetrate. She was upset. Sai's appearance had been the last straw. She was still reeling from the discovery she'd made that morning and now this! She didn't know what to do, what to say. At least Sasuke was keeping his cool, though it was a bit unlike him.

The problem was, she could see Sai's point of view, but she knew Naruto's as well. It wasn't as simple as Sai tried to make it seem. She understood that now. She understood now why Naruto had protected Sasuke in the first place.

She just wasn't sure Sai would be as understanding. And Sai wasn't even the real worry. Her biggest fear was how the village would react.

She really wanted to go back. Seeing Sai had given her hope that maybe they could return. That hope had now faded, but it was still there. Naruto would think of the right thing to do, she told herself. He always did.

But right now she would leave the tough part up to him, she had to figure out a way to stay in the same room with Sai and Sasuke who, quite obviously, did not like each other very much. She felt herself leaning more towards Sai's side, mostly because it was nice to see a friendly face, but also because she still wasn't ready to forgive Sasuke, or trust him for that matter. Still, she just wanted to keep things civil and away from violence, so it didn't really matter whose side she was on, as long as no side started a fight.

Unfortunately, the other two didn't have the same goal.

"You think you know Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his condescending tone not masked in the slightest for Sai's benefit, though it didn't seem to bother Sai, because he replied in a similar tone with an unmasked smirk to boot.

"I know him better than you do. You've been gone and I, the 'replacement,' have been by his side."

Sasuke glowered, then turned to Sakura with a much more reserved expression and said calmly,

"Sakura, there's no need to babysit us. We aren't kids. You can go join the old men on the back porch."

"I don't think that's a very good idea." She replied firmly, rolling her eyes at his attempt. But then when Sai spoke up too, her determination wavered.

"Go on, Sakura. He won't do anything. Looked to me like Naruto got him trained like a dog. What did he use, some sort of fag control jutsu?"

A wide smile broke out across Sasuke's face. If being trained like a dog included some of the things Naruto had done to him a few moments before back in the forest, he wouldn't mind being trained like a dog every day of his life. He glanced at Sakura again and nodded towards the door, signaling for her to leave.

Sakura wasn't quite sure why, but she followed his silent command. Maybe it was just from memory. When she was younger she'd always been ready and willing to follow any command Sasuke gave her. All she knew was that she cautiously turned to leave and step through the glass doors onto the porch, turning back to make sure she still had the two men in her eyesight in case something did actually happen. After being sure she could see them through the glass door, she closed it behind her and sat down beside Kakashi on the table outside.

Now that they were alone, the hatred bubbled into the air with now outlet to dim it or obstruct its tenacity. Sasuke took a step forward and said in the same tone as before,

"You don't know Naruto, and you don't know me. But I do know you, because I can see everything you are from your face, and you know what I see? You're _jealous_."

"Jealous?" Sai asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously in a fake smile.

"See," Sasuke said lightly, taking another step closer to Sai. "I have _greater_ than 20/20 vision." To emphasize the _greater,_ he activated his sharingan, and the cocky smile fell from his face. "And I can see exactly how you look at Naruto."

"How exactly do I look at Naruto?"

"Not in the friendly way," Sasuke said darkly. "In a very bad, dangerous way. And the reason it's bad and dangerous, is because you don't realize that Naruto already has someone to look at him that way."

"Who?" Sai asked, but he could feel his mouth going dry.

"Me." Sasuke whispered.

"What are you implying?" Sai muttered suspiciously. He wasn't very good at understanding innuendo, but he had an idea of what Sasuke was trying to say. He had an idea… and he didn't want to believe it.

Slowly, with a cruel smile, Sasuke pulled up his shirt and pulled down the waistband of his pants just enough to reveal blemishes on his skin in random places along his hipbone, all leading down farther into his pants.

Sai's eye's widened and he took a shaky step back, silently mouthing the word "no."

"Yes," Sasuke said monotonously, scowling to show his seriousness. He wanted to make sure this message got through to Sai. He would not tolerate anyone attempting to take Naruto away from him, especially not his replacement. "Naruto made these just before you got here. He did it of his own free will and _he enjoyed it_. He was holding onto my leg like if he let go, the world would disappear as he moved his mouth over my skin. Go on, picture it in your head, I know you want to. Naruto's lips kissing and sucking and licking and then going lower and lower until he was kissing and licking and sucking harder and faster and moaning out of that mouth of his."

And as Sasuke spoke, something was happening to Sai that Sasuke didn't realize. Sai really was picturing Naruto like that, with his head between his legs and his lips pressed against a place that was suddenly _so hot_, and never before had Sai cared to think about it, but right then, as he imagined it as Sasuke described it in that sickening voice of his, Sai understood something. He _wanted_ Naruto. That was why he'd been heartbroken when Naruto had left. That was why he hated being Sasuke's replacement most of all, because he hated the way Naruto cared about Sasuke because _he_ wanted to be the one Naruto cared about. And now he realized that he wanted more than just that. He wanted that body.

The sad thing, though, was that as soon as he figured out what it was that he wanted, he realized that his chances of having it had already been ripped away.

His eyes found the marks on Sasuke's abdomen again and he cringed, falling to his knees as pain and lust battled within him, burning together with a fierce hatred that threatened to take him over until suddenly, he had a thought. He looked up and smiled venomously, wanting revenge for everything Sasuke had just put him through, and for stealing Naruto before he'd even had a chance.

"You can't be with him." He said through gritted teeth. "Not forever."

A small frown formed on Sasuke's face, and Sai continued maliciously,

"He _will_ go back to the village, and you can't come with him. He may think you've changed but you haven't. You're still a cruel, heartless bastard and he'll see that one-day, and he will _hate_ you! He'll leave you, I can already see it."

What Sai said got through to Sasuke, and he dropped his hold on his shirt, bringing a hand up to cradle his head in. Sai wasn't wrong. Torturing Sai like he'd just done… Naruto would hate that. Sai was right. He hadn't changed. And if Naruto found out then he would leave him. For good. Naruto only had so much patience.

Sasuke shook his head. He wouldn't allow that to happen. All of the sudden he was struck with an idea. He backed out the front door, scowling thoughtfully as he murmured at Sai darkly,

"Not if I leave him first."

* * *

**Oh dear God, not another cliffhanger! I am such a bitch to you guys sometimes… Sorry! XD**

**Hopefully I'll update soon and put you out of your misery. Hopefully. **

**KeikoPanda102**


	11. Part 10

Part 10:

"Naruto! Dobe, where did you run off to?" Sasuke called out into the woods. He didn't have to wait long to find Naruto sitting with his back against a tree, just beyond the dirt road that led up to the cabin. Sasuke had a sneaking feeling Naruto hadn't gone far because he'd been worried about the people still inside the house.

The blonde glared at him when he saw Sasuke approaching.

"Why did you follow me? I said I wanted to think alone!"

"You can't do everything alone." Sasuke replied, looking down at Naruto with his hand on his hip.

Naruto scoffed, casting Sasuke a dubious sideways glance. "Never thought I'd hear _you_ say that."

"That's because I can do everything alone," Sasuke said as he sat down beside Naruto, their shoulder's touching innocently. "But you can't."

"Why the hell not?" Naruto growled. He seemed to think Sasuke was looking down on him, but he wasn't. Sasuke just stared him straight in the eyes and replied honestly,

"Because you don't like to be alone. Naruto… you have to go back to the village."

Naruto turned upon him with wide eyes, not willing to believe his ears.

"Sasuke I-"

"Listen," Sasuke said, placing his hand on Naruto's gently. "You heard what that weird, smiling copy-"

"Sai," Naruto correctly with a slight frown. Sasuke ignored him and rolled his eyes.

"-said. And he's right, I guess. The Leaf needs you, and you need it."

"Sasuke," Naruto said thickly. "You don't- you don't understand. I can't be _away_ from you anymore. I won't! I don't care what it takes, I will stay with you!"

Sasuke had a feeling Naruto would say that, and really, he had no intention of leaving Naruto at all. He'd only said that to Sai because the idea he'd had might mean leaving Naruto eventually. But not for long, of course. He didn't even think he could at this point. But he had an idea, because he knew something had to be done. Naruto had given up so much for him… he needed to give something up to. Even if that something was Naruto himself.

"I have an idea," Sasuke stated, tilting his head as he spoke, and even as he did he realized how much he didn't like his own idea.

"You, and Sakura and Kakashi, you all go back to the village. Tell them you left me because I tried to kill you or something idiotic like that. You become Hokage-"

"I already said-!"

"Naruto, you have to. It's your dream. This is your chance! You've got to take it!"

"I don't get it- what about you?" Naruto asked.

"I'm going to follow you back to the village and when we get there, I'll transform into someone else so I can stay with you without anyone trying to fight it. We can be together and you can be Hokage and-"

Naruto groaned and threw his head back against the tree.

"You wanna liiiie?"

"Yes." Sasuke replied with a nod instantly. "It's the only way. Or…"

"Or?"

"If you think my staying inside the village is too dangerous I can live just outside. I'll go underground somewhere just outside the Leaf, and you can visit me."

"That is a terrible idea."

"Why?" Sasuke asked, half frowning.

"Because," Naruto muttered defensively, "I wouldn't want to have to wait to see you."

He flipped the hand that was below Sasuke's hand over so their fingers meshed together and his skin felt warm against Sasuke's.

"Er, plus I'm a bad liar."

Sasuke smiled lightly.

"Yeah. You are."

It was quiet for a while. Naruto let his head fall onto Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke felt so relaxed when he was touching Naruto. Every second he wasn't touching Naruto he felt like he was going to go crazy.

If they did go back to the land of Fire, Sasuke realized he would actually miss this cabin and the woods that surrounded it. For some reason he and Naruto kept running to them whenever they needed to be alone, which wasn't too surprising, considering how crowded the house was getting. The woods were the only place they could go for some privacy. Sakura bursting in on them that morning was proof of that.

Sasuke sighed. That morning already seemed so long ago now. Since Sai appeared and everything started going to crap, Sasuke missed the peace of the day before.

Naruto suddenly spoke up quietly,

"Um, Sasuke? You didn't do anything bad to Sai, did you?"

Sasuke looked away guiltily. That kind of depended on your definition of "bad."

"Maybe I was a bit harsh, but I had good reason."

Naruto gave him a quizzical look. Sasuke frowned.

"I didn't like the way he was looking at you."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked bluntly. It was so blunt, Sasuke had to pause for a moment to make sure Naruto wasn't just being sarcastic. He rolled his eyes at Naruto's genuine confusion.

"You really are a moron sometimes, do you know that? People are looking at you differently now that we aren't kids anymore. Sakura was doing it, and Sai, and now that I think about, Gaara too."

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

Sasuke rolled his eyes again at Naruto's obliviousness. Obviously he would need to _show_ Naruto what he was talking about before the dumb blond would understand.

He turned towards him and stared deeply into those bright pools of blue then said simply,

"Naruto, how am I looking at you right now?"

Naruto was confused at the question at first, but slowly Sasuke's eyes drew him in. A blush formed on his face and he gave Sasuke a broad, excited smile.

"Like you wanna kiss me," he said with a voice of someone expecting to be kissed. Barely had he gotten his words out and Sasuke shook his head and replied flatly,

"Wrong."

This upset Naruto more than Sasuke thought it would, but somehow he enjoyed seeing the expressions change on Naruto's face from excitement to worry. But he couldn't take that look for long, and he leaned in, holding Naruto's face firmly in his hand and lifting his chin in a display of dominance, staring down at Naruto boldly as he said,

"I'm looking at you like I want to _own_ you."

Naruto gulped and Sauske decided that _now_ he could give Naruto that kiss. With a sly smirk, he lifted Naruto's face to his own and pressed their lips together lightly. In their silent, body communication, Naruto heard very clearly,

_You belong to me._

He pushed Sasuke away glaring, and became even angrier when Sasuke continued to smile.

"You don't own me, Teme!"

"I wasn't finished." Sasuke said with an amused edge to his voice as he hold on tightly to either side of Naruto's face, gently pulling him closer so their lips touched once more, and as the kiss deepened, Naruto realize that he had indeed missed something.

_I own you… and you own me, too._

When Sasuke broke the kiss this time Naruto was smiling. Dammit, Sasuke loved that smile! He sat back against the tree and Naruto mimicked him as Sasuke added aloud,

"You see? Only I am allowed to look at you like that."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, not really listening. He'd completely forgotten why Sasuke had done that to begin with and now he didn't very much care. His lips were tingling too much for him to think about anything but how good Sasuke tasted.

Sasuke gave an exasperated sigh; aware that his little display had not had the effect he'd wanted.

"What were you saying, Sasuke?" Naruto asked again, trying to shake himself out of his daze.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment. Maybe it was better that Naruto be oblivious to the looks of other people. With a content smile, Sasuke replied with a shrug,

"Never mind."

Naruto exhaled, frowning slightly as a thought occurred to him. Sasuke didn't even have to ask before Naruto started explaining that frown to him in a curiously flat tone of voice.

"You know, when you kiss me and- and other things, I don't even care about anything else."

Sasuke nodded, understanding perfectly the feeling Naruto was describing. He also understood when Naruto's head fell and his eyes darkened and he added insad undertone,

"But we can't kiss forever…"

And all of the sudden the old Naruto that Sasuke loved, the Naruto who smiled and called him "Teme" and held onto him when they slept together, that Naruto wasn't there anymore. The new Naruto was back. Back to that stern scowl that held steady on his face as if he were always in constantly deep thought, no room for love or playful touches. This was the same Naruto Sasuke had seen while they had been travelling, before he'd understood the meaning behind those deep gazes and expressions that looked as though Naruto were angry with himself. He knew now why Naruto had looked that way. Naruto _had_ been angry with himself. He'd been angry because he'd fallen in love with Sasuke when he wasn't supposed to. Now he was angry with himself because his love for Sasuke was causing others pain.

He stood to his feet and Sasuke followed after, realizing that somehow Naruto had just made up his mind about what they were going to do. Sasuke lowered his gaze in acceptance of whatever Naruto chose.

When they entered the house they found Sakura, Kakashi, and Sai sitting silently in the living room. It was obvious from their expressions that they hadn't been silent up until Naruto and Sasuke walked into the room.

"Bee left. He said he knew you would figure out the right thing to do. But he said it in rhyme." Kakashi said monotonously as 3 pairs of eyes fell on Naruto expectantly.

"Did you decide, Naruto?" Sai asked, trying to hide the nervous doubt that was appearing on his face. He didn't know what he would do if Naruto refused to return. His mission had only dictated that he _had_ to get Naruto come home.

Naruto took a deep breath, but when he looked up, there was no glimmer of hesitation on his face.

"We're going back to the village." He said, and the other's reactions were instantaneous. Sakura's tense expression transformed into one of pure joy. It hit her right then how much she missed everyone and everything in the Leaf village. Kakashi nodded in acceptance though Sasuke had a feeling he had already known what Naruto was going to say. Sai was as thrilled as Sakura, but didn't like how Sasuke didn't react at all. He waited because he understood that Naruto was going to say more.

"We're _all_ going back to the village!" Naruto finished sternly, and Sai rose to his feet in a flash as Sakura's happy expression fell slightly.

"That isn't how it works, Naruto!" Sai said loudly. "Weren't you listening? There were only two choices. Either you leave Sasuke or you don't come back. There isn't a third choice."

"There's always a third choice!" Naruto scowled, his voice and decision unwavering. "Or there isn't any choice at all…"

"What exactly are you planning on doing once we get to the village then, may I ask?" Sai's tone was sarcastic and angry. It pissed Sasuke off, but he held his tongue.

Naruto gave Sai no answer, much to everyone's surprise. He completely ignored the question and said instead,

"Sai, send a message to the village telling them we are coming back. Don't add anything else."

It seemed momentarily that Sai was going to argue, but a second later he dropped his defensive stance and nodded his head slowly, walking out onto the back porch and pulling a pen and piece of paper from his backpack. Everyone watched silently as he scribbled the message and made a few handsigns so the letters he'd written transformed into a bird and flew off into the setting sun. When he came back inside he fixed Naruto with nervous look as if asking, "what next?"

"We'll leave in the morning, so everyone get a good nights rest. Kakashi, there was another extra bed in your room, wasn't there? Sai can sleep there for the night."

Kakashi nodded and with a heavy sigh, Naruto began down the hallway to his and Sasuke's room.

"Naruto," Sakura said softly, "It isn't even dinner time yet, you aren't going to sleep, are you?"

"I'm just going to take a nap, Sakura, don't worry. Can you wake me up when it's dinner time?"

She nodded and gave him a faint smile, which he returned halfheartedly and continued down the hall. Sasuke followed after him, glad that Naruto wasn't telling him not to. He turned around before they turned the corner into the narrow hallway and saw Sai staring angrily at them walking so close together to the room they shared. He had the smallest desire to stick his tongue out, but resisted strongly, sure that Naruto would be upset with him if he did.

When they closed the door to their room and Naruto collapsed onto his bed, Sasuke sitting carefully on the edge of his, he asked quietly,

"Do you have any idea what you're going to tell the village when we get there?"

Naruto rolled over, facing the wall.

"No, I dunno, I mean…" his voice faded and he shook his head. Sasuke wasn't even sure Naruto was really talking to him when he added softly before he stopped replying altogether, "Maybe… the truth?"

Sasuke shook his head at Naruto's innocent stupidity. When did telling the truth ever work out well in the end? And yet, Sasuke felt obliged to follow along with any foolish plan Naruto would come up with. As long as it meant staying with Naruto, then he would be okay.

A few hours later Sakura informed Sasuke that it was dinnertime so he could wake Naruto. He sat down on the edge of Naruto's bed and used one hand to tilt Naruto's face upwards, amused at how relaxed he looked while asleep. He then chose the more entertaining of ways to wake Naruto up. He bent his head and pressed his lips against Naruto's. It did the trick and Naruto opened fluttering blue eyes a moment later.

"Sakura says dinnertime."

Naruto rolled over sleepily, unwilling to admit he was embarrassed by the way Sasuke had chosen to wake him.

"Tell her I'm not hungry."

"No way," Sasuke replied, pulling Naruto into a sitting position as Naruto groaned his disagreement. "I'm not eating dinner with that pale freak without you. You wouldn't want something to happen to him, would you?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes as if saying, "you wouldn't," and Sasuke shrugged, pulling Naruto by the front of his jacket out into the hallway towards the dining room.

"I might."

Naruto held him back before they entered and pressed their heads together so he could mutter quietly, "Don't do anything, Sasuke. Please."

Sasuke rolled his eyes but nodded all the same. The sleep had improved Naruto's mood but, unfortunately for Sasuke, it didn't last long. As soon as they entered the dining room Sakura just _had_ to ask,

"Naruto, good, there you are. I was wondering when we were going to leave tomorrow morning? I want to know if I should pack tonight or…"

Naruto's entire demeanor changed when he was reminded of the coming choice he was to make. Sasuke half-glared at Sakura, though she didn't even notice. It was bad enough she'd mentioned it and made Naruto remember he was supposed to be thoughtful and depressed, but she wasn't even trying to hide how happy she was to be going back.

"Oh," Naruto muttered, then scowled as he sat down at the table and said firmly, "Early. We leave early tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked as he and Sai took their seats at the table as well and Sakura began serving the food. "There isn't really a rush, Naruto. No ones going to die if we're a little-"

"No," Naruto cut him off insistently. "The sooner we get back, the better."

Sasuke didn't say anything as he carefully ate the dinner Sakura had made, but he was sure Naruto wanted to get back to the Leaf faster because he wanted to spend less time mulling over what might happen if they still refused to allow him back in the village. And he wasn't so confident that Naruto's plan of "telling the truth" would work out. Regretfully, he knew that if they refused to allow him back inside, and that was still the best worst-case scenario (the worst being some sort of battle beginning because they were determined for him to die), Naruto would be horribly upset. He loved the Leaf village more than anything.

Well, not more than anything. He loved only one thing more, and that was what this whole thing was about. But other people just couldn't understand. People like Shikamaru and Sai and Sakura. They didn't know what it was like to not have a choice. Naruto and Sasuke no longer had a choice. They would be together or they would die together. That was it.

Naruto didn't eat much though Sakura tried a few times to get him to eat more. Even with his nap just beforehand, he seemed tired, and halfway through dinner he pushed his plate away from him and stood from the table with a grimace plastered across his face. Sasuke wouldn't have even moved in reaction but that damn _Sai_ had to stand up quickly right after Naruto and make him hesitate on his way back to their bedroom.

"Naruto wait, I- I want to talk to you. Just for a moment, please?"

The drained expression on Naruto's face seemed to increase but he nodded and followed Sai out onto the porch, just out of view of the dining room. Kakashi and Sakura just tried to ignore the way Sasuke's hands clenched tightly around his knife and edge of the table.

Outside, Sai wasted no time in explaining his thoughts to Naruto.

"Naruto, I understand now."

"Understand what?" Naruto asked, tired but also a bit curious.

"Why you're doing all these things. I understand. It's because you love Sasuke, isn't it? I always thought it was Sakura that you loved but now I'm starting to think that sometimes what looks like hate can actually be love."

"Did that jerk tell you that?" Naruto fumed, trying not to show his embarrassment at being revealed to yet another one of his friends. He sighed, realizing that if things went they way he was planning, he would eventually have to tell everyone.

Sai looked away as he replied, his voice sinking a note lower,

"No… He showed me his waist."

At first Naruto was confused, but slowly he began to realize what Sai was implying as he remembered what he and Sasuke had done earlier that day out in the woods. He suddenly had the same feeling Sasuke had had where earlier that morning seemed so very, very long ago. His exhaustion came back and nearly overtook his embarrassment, but then another emotion came to the forefront of his mind; frustration.

"It isn't- me and Sasuke aren't just like that! No one gets it! You all- you all just think Sasuke and I are doing this because we 'love' each other or some bullshit like that, but that's not right! Why is it so complicated? We like being together, and doing that stuff together, but it's more than just physical, and I can't… I can't explain it."

He really couldn't explain it. The bond between him and Sasuke was so different from anything else he'd ever experience, from anything _anyone_ had ever experienced; there weren't exactly the right words to describe it just yet. Love was just a word- it was the _feeling_ that had Sasuke and Naruto hooked. But how could he convey that to others?

Slowly, it dawned upon Naruto that that was exactly what he needed to do. He needed to find a way to explain the feeling of having no other choice but to do anything to be with Sasuke. That was it! That was the only way they would understand! If only he could explain it clearly he was sure they would let both he and Sasuke return to the village, and everything would go back to way it was supposed to be!

Finally, Naruto had a plan.

Explaining the situation wasn't enough. To win over his friends, to win over the entire Leaf village, Naruto would need to find a way to explain a _feeling._

He had all but forgotten Sai was there with him. He wasn't as tired anymore. He was thrilled, but also scared. What if he couldn't figure out how to convey it correctly?

His weariness overcame him once again and he glanced at Sai apologetically.

"Sorry, Sai, didn't you say you wanted to talk to me about something?"

Luckily, Sai was very good at keep expression from his face; otherwise he would have betrayed all the pain and sadness that was swelling up inside him in that moment. Yes. He had wanted to talk to Naruto about something. He had wanted to confess his feelings to Naruto, even if he thought it was useless. He had wanted to hold Naruto close to him and touch him with sexual intent because that was what his little brain was telling him to do. But now how could he? Naruto had made it very clear that the bond he had with Sasuke was something Sai didn't even understood.

The fake smile appeared on Sai's face like the first traces of death in a sickly human as he replied softly,

"No, I just wanted to tell you that I understood. You should probably go get some sleep now, Naruto."

And with that, they walked back inside, Sai sitting down at the table as Sasuke stood and followed Naruto directly back to their room.

"Did he do anything to you?" Sasuke asked darkly before shutting the door behind him.

Naruto just shook his head and fell onto his unmade bed. He was quiet for a while and Sasuke thought he was being silently dismissed, but just as he was about to leave their room, Naruto muttered a question quietly,

"How long will it take us to get back to the Leaf?"

Sasuke frowned, wondering why Naruto was asking.

"Probably three or four days. Why?"

Naruto say up but didn't catch Sasuke's eye as he replied softly,

"Don't… don't touch me for those days."

A familiar frown appeared on Sasuke's face and his brain went into fireworks of questions and worries stemming from Naruto's sudden decision.

"Why?" He felt justified to ask.

Naruto turned away to lie back down.

"Because I have some things I need to think over."

That was clearly all he was going to say about it and Sasuke could do nothing but calmly leave the room, closing the door behind him as he followed the familiar path into the woods and found a tree that was absolutely perfect for charring a huge black dent in with a powerful chidori. He roared his frustration with the initial attack then groaned angrily as he punched the tree again for good measure.

He was getting frustrated with the current situation and if he wasn't allowed to fight something he at least needed another way to vent his built-up temper. He could only allow Naruto to rob him of so much; it seemed he'd already taken all of his dignity and half of his freewill. And yet… something in Naruto's voice and body language had made him obey.

It was probably because he could tell that Naruto didn't want this pent-up feeling of frustration either, he was just thinking logically. _He said he needed to think_… Sasuke recalled broodingly. Somehow it amused him to think that when he was a kid he would have said that he didn't know Naruto even _knew_ how to think.

"It's good to know the technique I spent so long teaching you is put to good use as a method of stress relief."

Sasuke spun around to see Kakashi leaning casually against the side of a tree with his book held open, his eyes scanning across the pages in the moonlight. When Sasuke turned around he looked up and put his book back in his pocket.

"Why don't you try attacking something that can actually defend itself?" He asked lightly, and took a fighting stance.

Sasuke was surprised, but then he smirked at the challenge. He hadn't had a good fight in a long time. Mostly because he just hadn't cared who he was fighting in a long time. It interesting him to test his skills against his old teacher, and the idea of relieving stress appealed to him more than he would have liked to admit. Naruto's sudden chastity, though he understood it was for a reason, was a just another thing trying his patience in the last day.

"Just remember to go easy on me, I'm getting old you know." Kakashi was obviously smiling beneath his mask as Sasuke took a step forward, his fingers already sparking with the building of fiery chakra beneath his skin.

* * *

The next morning was unusually cool and the clouds were low in the trees, creating a thick fog for the five of them to trek through. Killer Bee arrived before dawn to guide them down the mountain road and through the nearby village. Naruto recognized a few of the villagers he'd befriended when he'd gone down for supplies a few days before, but only managed small smiles when they waved at him. Everything seemed vastly different than it had on that morning. And it occurred to him as they parted ways with Killer Bee that everything _was_ different.

He glanced at Sasuke and noticed that his glance was not returned. Although it hurt, he understood the reason behind it. There was no anger in Sasuke's posture. He was ignoring Naruto because Naruto had told him to, because it was for the best.

Until they reached the village Naruto needed to spend all of his energy coming up with some sort of plan to convince his friends of the pure attachment and strength of the bond between he and Sasuke. He knew Shikamaru would be the hardest to convince, at least from the way Shikamaru had acted that had started all of this.

And as much as he really, _really_ didn't want to reveal the more physical side of his and Sasuke's relationship (not only because it was embarrassing, but because it always seemed to make people misunderstand), he had a feeling it would be necessary as well as the only way to properly convey the situation.

Besides, Naruto didn't want to hide things from the people he cared about. He'd seen too many scenarios where hiding the truth led to mistrust and violence. Honesty was always the safer option.

But what if it wasn't enough?

The five of them travelled this way; quiet, sober, disheartened, for the entire day until night fell and they had to make camp. Naruto was only half listening as Kakashi explained to him that they had only barely made it out of Lightning, despite not having stopped once. He thought they probably ended up going over a few mountains they could have avoided if they'd been paying closer attention to the map.

"You do seem a bit distracted, Naruto. Maybe you should turn in for the night."

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, the bringer of all his burden, and the comfort that brought meaning to his life. Sasuke noticed his glance and tensed under his gaze. He was struggling not to look back, but Naruto didn't notice. He just sighed heavily and nodded towards Kakashi, handing his former teacher the map and slouching off to the side of the camp to retrieve his sleeping mat and lay it farthest away from Sasuke as he could manage.

But upon seeing Sasuke's face contort into an angry scowl and towards an area just beside his selected spot for sleeping where Sai was sitting, innocently drawing in his sketchbook, Naruto got up and shifted his position so he was closer to Sakura. He didn't look up again and tried to stop himself thinking about how fast Sasuke's jealousy made his heart beat as he stared into the flames of their campfire until finally drifting off the sleep.

He was completely unawares of what went on after his eyes closed for good.

Sasuke risked one small glance at the sleeping figure of Naruto to make sure he was definitely out for good and then quick as a flash of lightning, leap to the opposite side of the fire to grab a tight hold of Sai's right hand, stopping his pencil from touching the paper of his sketchbook.

"I knew it!" Sasuke snarled quietly as to not wake Naruto, tearing the sketchbook from Sai's hands as Sai fought to try and reclaim it.

Sakura got into a position ready to break up a fight if one broke out between Sasuke and Sai, and Sasuke was almost glad she was there because the chances of him loosing his head enough to actually attack Sai were growing. He flipped the pages of Sai's sketchbook as the owner of the book stared at him in silent loathing and fury- with just a hint of insolent delight.

The pages of the sketchbook were full of pictures of Naruto. Most were just black and white, but as Sasuke flipped through, growing angrier with each page, he noticed some with full color, some done only in vibrant warm tones, and some that looked more like they came from inside Sai's head than real life. Most were very recent, but there were many that were not. That pissed Sasuke off even more. Sai had been staring and drawing Naruto longer than he liked.

"I thought I made it clear, _replacement._ Don't. Go. Near. him."

"Sasuke, don't be a dick." Sakura interrupted, glaring darkly at her former crush. He was surprised at her bold, unrefined choice of words, but they actually had the effect she'd desired, especially when she added in a slightly lower tone,

"Naruto won't like it when you act like this."

Sasuke snorted, put a bit to shame by her statement, but still angrily flung the sketchbook back at Sai and roared softly,

"I can't help it! He's provoking me, and Naruto's too naïve to even notice!"

"Sakura is right, Sasuke," Kakashi spoke up, and Sasuke jerked his head in his old teacher's direction. He'd regained some of the respect he used to have for Kakashi after their fight the night before, and even if he didn't want to hear them, listened to his words silently.

"It will be for the best, for you and Naruto as well, if you learn some humility and restraint."

He snorted and rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath as he stared away from the fire light,

"Uchiha's don't know what humility is."

"Just restraint then?" Kakashi replied, and though he seemed serious, underneath that he was a bit amused. Though Sasuke himself would never admit it, he was pouting like a bratty child. Kakashi understood more than anyone because he was the most observant that this bad mood, shared by Sasuke and Naruto, was due to the distance they'd placed between themselves. He was confident that when they allowed themselves to be together again they would relax a bit; but teaching Sasuke a thing or two until then couldn't hurt.

After a minute of frustrated pacing, Sasuke sunk down to the ground, glaring through the flickering fire at Naruto's now snoring figure. Kakashi laughed to himself.

"I've never seen you get so worked up over something," he said lightly. "Well, aside from your revenge."

Sasuke glanced in his direction but gave no reply as his mind sunk back into the past, memories of hate and rage-filled images swimming across his thoughts. Despite the fire's close proximity, he felt the coolness of the night air penetrating his skin like he was being submerged in water.

Itachi.

Sasuke hadn't thought much about Itachi recently. But that was probably for the best. Thinking about Itachi always made his eyes hurt.

He wondered what his brother would think about Naruto, about his relationship with Naruto.

He imaged Itachi would most likely not care. From careful consideration of his actions, it was clear Itachi only really seemed to care about two things: keeping Sasuke alive, and making Sasuke strong.

Sasuke had a feeling Itachi never really thought past Madara's defeat, though if he did, he sure as hell didn't let anyone know what he thought. Maybe he just hadn't imagined that Madara would actually be defeated at all. Maybe he didn't have any clue what the future would look like.

Or, and Sasuke frequently found himself believing this idea's verisimilitude over's; Itachi always had an almost perfect prediction of the future and every single action he made was in accordance to that prediction. Sometimes this idea seemed more logical than others, but it had no factual backing and Sasuke eventually dismissed it as simply insane. His brother hadn't been a prophet or a seer. The sharingan didn't give him powers to see into the future or know things others did not (that power didn't exist… to Sasuke's knowledge). Itachi simply followed his single-minded goals with such tenacity and confidence, he made things happen the way he wanted so it _seemed_ he was in complete control of them at all times.

Sasuke wished he had Itachi's strength of mind, but understood that that was just another thing Itachi would always be better at than he was.

_Humility? _He thought to himself as he reached up to tenderly rub his eyes. They had begun to ache, but Sasuke didn't even notice. _Hn, Itachi might have been the only Uchiha _ever_ capable of any kind of humility. _He opened his eyes wearily and saw Naruto's chest rising and falling along with his even breathes as he slept. Sasuke's eyes seemed to hurt less as he watched Naruto sleeping peacefully underneath the moonlight.

He had a suddenly interesting thought. Naruto and Itachi were similar in one way: their determination not to give up, to give their all for their cause.

Itachi and Naruto were actually similar in one other way, though Sasuke lacked the temerity to even think it to himself. Itachi and Naruto were both hopelessly and unexplainably devoted to him. The cause they were both so determined to give their all for was a cause they happened to share.

And that cause was Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

Naruto was not actually doing as Sasuke thought; sleeping peacefully. He was, in fact, having a very strange dream. It was strange, but not altogether unfamiliar.

He was a child again, small, shaggy head of hair with a white t-shirt and shorts. He looked around to see a familiar stretch of road before him and a hill leading down to a small lake to his left.

A strange feeling rose up inside him as he glanced down the hill to see the back of a very familiar head sitting at the end of a dock. It was a nostalgic feeling from his childhood mixed with more recent feelings, and all of the sudden he noticed that he was no longer a child, though the boy on the dock remained the same. Something felt like it was pulling Naruto towards that dock, towards that messy, dark hair and slender back, hunched over and all alone.

Alone. Naruto remembered what it felt like to be alone. Perhaps it was because of his dream-state, but he felt it as though he were still that young child walking past that dock with a strange, unspoken connection with the boy sitting by the water.

But he couldn't call out to him, couldn't make him turn around. Something stopped him and his hands clenched tightly as he walked past the dock, staring determinedly straight ahead. But when he next looked up he realized he hadn't moved an inch, he was still walking just past the hill leading down to the dock.

His eyes sought that small back again, a perfect outline against the sun setting and reflecting off the water. Slowly, the boy started to turn around. His eyes caught Naruto's and for a moment he seemed nothing like a child. Naruto felt like the child. He couldn't breathe.

He smiled down at the boy and their eyes locked as the boy smirked back confidently, causing Naruto to nervously break the gaze and try to walk faster down the road, but to no avail. When he looked at the water again, the boy had turned back around. Naruto wanted to call out. He _wanted_ to!

But he couldn't. He closed his eyes and kept walking and walking, going nowhere at all. From behind him he suddenly heard a voice.

"Why don't you say anything to him?"

Naruto finally stopped in his tracks, and the entire dream seemed to freeze as he did. Cautiously, he turned around, only to find himself face-to-face with someone he never would have expected to be found in his dream- Itachi Uchiha.

Being that it was a dream, Naruto shrugged it off as "one of those weird dream-things," and merely replied honestly to Itachi's question.

"I can't."

"Why not?" Itachi countered astutely.

"Because," Naruto replied with a bit of an annoyed glared. Itachi watched him curiously as Naruto's expression then changed to one of sadness and regret. The scene around the two of them changed along with his expression. The hill, lake, and dock were nowhere to be seen. Now they were in a crater, obviously recently made, and Naruto looked on as a frozen scene was displayed for both he and Itachi to view.

The same boy from before, but much older now, had his arm around Naruto's shoulder. The expression on this memory-Naruto's face matched the expression on dream-Naruto's face almost perfectly.

"I'm too weak." Naruto finished, looking away.

Itachi smiled kindly and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, the scene before them coming to life as he muttered softly,

"Even if you may have been too weak," there was a battle and then the image of Naruto crashing to his hands and knees in depressed failure froze again before them. The dream-Naruto cringed at this memory. It still hurt, even after all this time. Itachi noticed this and squeezed his shoulder, making him look up at the older man, as he finished calmly, "Even if you were weak,_ you never gave up.._"

A warmth filled Naruto's heart upon hearing Itachi's kind words, and he realized that he shouldn't keep berating himself for being weak in the past. The past was the past, and although it did hurt, it was over now. He sniffed lightly and nodded, and the tone of the dream changed instantly. Itachi, who had appeared more as a dreamy apparition, now seemed more solid and real. The dream-like qualities of his own mind cleared as Itachi looked down at him and said seriously,

"Naruto, we need to talk."

* * *

**This was going to be longer, but I think this is a better length, plus this means a quicker update. Sorry I'm taking so long! Please forgive me! The ending is gonna be awesome though! Promise!**

**KeikoPanda102**


	12. Part 11

Part 11:

The quality of the dream that was like memory vanished and Naruto found himself standing in a clearing that lit up something in his mind, he just couldn't quite remember what. The difference between this and the places in the dream was that this felt much more real. And so did Itachi.

But before Naruto could get out the hundreds of questions that were forming in his mind, Itachi quickly cut him off to ask,

"Do you recognize this place?"

Thinking it was a strange thing to ask at a time like this, Naruto gazed confusedly at the area they were in. After a minute he gave up and sighed.

"No, I don't. Should I?"

He was surprised when Itachi gave him a small smile before replying,

"This is where we last met. You were loudly declaring your hatred of me for not being the brother Sasuke deserved. You said you were more of a brother than I ever was. It was a valiant fight to put up while you were inside my genjutsu, and it made me realize something about you, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto's head was spinning; was this the real Itachi Uchiha standing just a few feet before him? He felt a bit guilty when he realized what Itachi said, knowing now that Itachi had actually been the best brother all along. All of the sudden, Itachi's words seemed to click in Naruto's head, and he remembered exactly the moment Itachi had brought them back to.

"You!" He gasped, his eyes growing wide as he stuttered, trying to organize the thoughts that were coming at him far to fast. "You- you- here- I- I remember! You put something _inside_ me!" His hands fell to his stomach and he felt like he might be sick as he remembered the unpleasant feeling of feathers being forced down his throat.

"I merely gave you a small sample of my chakra. It's the reason I'm able to be here right now."

Naruto straightened, giving Itachi a searching look. He was confused, but couldn't think of a reason to be particularly wary in this situation, as strange as it was. As far as he knew, Itachi was one of the most trustworthy people in the world. He dropped his guard and asked with a tilt of his head,

"But why?"

Itachi smiled and somehow it made Naruto feel better. Uchiha smiles really were the best. Too bad they were so rare.

"I took a liking to you," Itachi answered honestly, his smile unfading, "and I noticed the significance you would come to hold in Sasuke's life."

That name caught Naruto off-guard, then he slowly realized what else Itachi had said and a shameful blush started appearing on his cheeks as he silently mouthed the word "significance".

"I- I- you-" Naruto stuttered, failing at forming coherent thoughts and words. There was something ultimately embarrassing about being face-to-face with a close family member of the one with whom you were in a sexual relationship.

Itachi's smile returned, his eyes alight with amusement, then softened when he said simply,

"I know, Naruto. I knew when I spoke to you here."

"But how?" Naruto blurted out, still red in the face. "We weren't even- we weren't even like that then!"

"Of course not," Itachi shook his head, his eyes sparkling as though he knew something Naruto did not, "But you loved him."

Naruto didn't seem to understand and Itachi realized he would need to explain. He sighed.

"I know how it is better than anyone, Naruto. The things you felt, the things you feel for Sasuke… sometimes the line of love becomes blurry. The intensity of your determination showed me that that line for both you and my brother was already paper thin, needing only a faint push to break completely. It was no magic or trick that allowed me to see your love. It was clear as day in your eyes and your actions."

"Oh…" Naruto muttered. "Wait, wait, lemme get this straight. This… this isn't a dream, is it?"

"That depends on your interpretation of dreams. But you should know that what I tell you here may very well impact what _is_ real."

"I think I get it," Naruto nodded, suddenly becoming serious. "You're here to help."

"Yes," Itachi replied with a nod of his own. "I know the trouble you're faced with, both you and Sasuke. It took you so long to get to this point where you are finally together, and I don't you to be forced apart again. I've come to offer a… somewhat extreme solution."

"Extreme?" Naruto repeated nervously. He didn't like the sound of that, and Itachi wasn't smiling anymore.

"Why do you think the Leaf doesn't want Sasuke to return?"

Naruto frowned, just thinking about it made him angry.

"I don't know. Because- because they think he's bad for me, but they're wrong! Sasuke is… Sasuke is…"

His shoulders bunched up and his fists clenched. He tried to cover his face because he knew Itachi was there staring at him and he didn't want to look weak or incompetent, but this whole situation with Sasuke was more than he could take!

Luckily for him, Itachi was probably the only person in the world who would ever truly understand how he felt.

"Sasuke is your most important person," Itachi muttered, his soft smile returning. "You would do anything for him."

"Yes…" Naruto replied quietly, still covering his eyes.

"Our feelings are very similar. That's why I like you, Naruto. Plus, I like your determination. You never give up."

Naruto looked up, touched that Itachi said he liked him. He was glad the person who used to be most important in Sasuke's life liked him. Then Itachi added with a smile,

"Even if your stubbornness might look a little like stupidity sometimes."

Naruto blushed. He was noticing how much Itachi looked like Sasuke. Or, actually, how much Sasuke looked like Itachi.

Itachi had his sharingan activated, and those familiar red eyes were staring very deeply at him. They were like Sasuke's but… different. There was something more feminine about Itachi's. Naruto had the sudden unstoppable desire to blurt out,

"Erm, Itachi, have you ever had sex before?"

Itachi seemed very taken aback by this question, though his expression only changed the tiniest bit. He silently laughed and thought to himself, _Naruto Uzumaki, the world's most unpredictable ninja._

Naruto seemed shocked he'd asked the question. It'd come out before he could stop himself but as soon as he said it he slapped his hands over his mouth, his eyes wide and nervous. Itachi's presence had made him feel comfortable somehow, and it just slipped out, like he was asking for advice from an older brother. Naruto felt a bit sad all of the sudden. Sad for Sasuke for never really knowing Itachi as the great older brother he could have been.

"I had a girlfriend when I was still a part of the Leaf village and I had sex with her… but I don't believe that was really what you were asking about."

Seeing that Itachi wasn't berating him for asking his question, and even seemed open to answering it, Naruto shyly shook his head. Itachi smiled again.

"You want to know if I've had sex with a man before."

Naruto nodded once, very slowly, then again, lowering his hands from his mouth and biting his lip.

"The answer to that," Itachi said calmly, his eyes shining, "is… yes."

He didn't elaborate. Naruto swallowed, but he had a feeling his curiosity would not be satisfied. If Itachi wanted to tell Naruto whom it was he slept with, he would have done so already.

"Are you nervous?" Itachi asked, making Naruto jerk his head up in surprised embarrassment. He started shuffling his feet and looking around at the ground in front of him.

"I-!" Naruto began, and then looked down again. "…yeah…"

"You have nothing to worry about," Itachi said lightly. "Sasuke will treat you well. His pride wouldn't let him do otherwise. Besides… he loves you."

Naruto looked as though he couldn't believe what Itachi had said, then all of the sudden a bright smile shone on his face, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. His eyes looked off into the distance and Itachi had some idea of what he was thinking about, so he just smiled quietly until Naruto shook his head to clear out his mind, blushing wildly.

"I have another question!" he said loudly.

"Is it also about sex?" Itachi replied curiously, mostly just to tease Naruto because he knew the cute response it would earn him.

"N- no," Naruto muttered, blushing again, just like Itachi knew he would. "I want to know… to know how you did it."

"How I did what?"

"How you," Naruto paused to try and find the right way to phrase his question.

"How you kept thinking about Sasuke after all that time. I mean, even when you knew he hated you, you still loved him, didn't you? And you were apart from him for so many years, weren't you worried he would change and you wouldn't love him the same anymore?"

Itachi was silent for a moment and then he laughed, a real laugh that reached his eyes. Naruto shuffled on the balls of his feet again, not sure why his question would make Itachi laugh so hard.

"Naruto, you are ridiculous!" Itachi said through his light giggles. "You can answer your own question yourself!"

Naruto seemed confused, and Itachi stopped laughing, but kept his smile on his face.

"Naruto, you are asking me how I stayed caring for Sasuke for all those years, even when I knew he hated me… and you did the same thing! And you want to know if I was worried he would change, but didn't he change when he left the village, when he left you? Didn't you still care about him?"

"O- of course!" Naruto replied, realizing then why his question was so stupid. Itachi looked at him kindly and decided to answer Naruto's question anyway since the blond seemed so interested.

"You want to know how I kept thinking about him all that time, well, he was my special little brother and everything I did, I did for him."

"Just like… just like how I trained so hard just to bring him back…" Naruto muttered, feeling a bit stupid for asking now, and Itachi nodded before continuing.

"You want to know how I still cared about him even though I knew he hated me and that's… because even when he was staring at me with those eyes so full of hate, I was happy… because it meant we still had a bond. Even if it was a bond of hate."

Naruto looked down sadly.

"When… when Sasuke said he would kill me on a whim… that was what hurt the most. He acted like he didn't even care about me. At least at the Valley of the End we were rivals, bonded by our battle."

"You want to know how I still loved him the same, even though he changed? That's the easiest one to answer; he was always my cute little baby brother. No matter what happened or how he changed, I would always love him. And what about you, Naruto? When you met Sasuke again and saw how he changed… did you still love him?"

"Yes," Naruto muttered, emotion welling up in his heart. "Yes, yes, yes of course I did! I couldn't hate Sasuke no matter what he did or how he changed because he was… he was my best friend."

"And now he is even more, and that is why you cannot leave his side again, nor allow him to die, nor allow anyone to take him away from you, isn't that right?" Itachi asked firmly, glad they were getting back on topic. He wondered how they'd gotten off-topic so quickly.

Naruto's fists clenched tight, his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him.

"Yes."

"Then it's time I tell you why I'm really here."

Naruto looked up all of the sudden, surprised. Itachi smiled at him mockingly.

"Surely you didn't think I placed some of my chakra inside you just to give you sex advice?"

Naruto blushed again and started stuttering nonsense until Itachi put his hand up to tell Naruto to quiet himself.

"I am here right now to help you. I can give you a way so that no one will stop your relationship with Sasuke ever again."

"Your 'extreme' solution! The thing you mentioned earlier, right?" Naruto said, suddenly understanding that Itachi really was there to help. That maybe for once he didn't have to come up with the answer all on his own. But then Itachi's tenseness made him nervous. He frowned and asked anxiously,

"I- Itachi… what makes your solution so extreme?"

Itachi hesitated.

"You must understand, Naruto, that this is the solution only for the worst-case scenario. If things get out of hand and you have no other choice, then you can use the technique I am going to give you. Do you understand, Naruto? Only if you have no other choice."

He said the last line firmly, staring Naruto dead in the eye. Naruto swallowed hard and nodded.

"It's a technique?" he asked quietly. "Like a jutsu?"

"It is similar to a sealing jutsu. Not exactly the same, but close enough so that only someone of Uzumaki bloodline would have even a chance of performing it safely. Luckily, you _are_ of Uzumaki bloodline."

"What does it seal?" Naruto wasn't even breathing now. Itachi's serious manner made him worry greatly about what he would do if a worst-case scenario were to occur. Would he be able to use this technique Itachi was going to teach him? Would he have the power to? Would he have the guts?

Itachi looked away, only adding to Naruto's panic. Surely this jutsu had to do something very drastic for even Itachi Uchiha to seem frightened or nervous about using it.

"The jutsu will…" Itachi trailed off then looked at Naruto blankly.

"The jutsu, if you are forced to use it, will seal Sasuke's sharingan, effectively cutting his power in half. If he were no longer a threat, the Leaf would have no reason to deny his return, especially if _you_ speak on his behalf."

Naruto was shocked. Itachi would give him the power to… _to take Sasuke's power away?_

"You can't be… you can't be serious!" Naruto said, not wanting to believe the completely serious look on Itachi's face.

"Sasuke would not be harmed. It would only seal his sharingan, nothing else."

"But without his sharingan Sasuke would be-"

"Naruto, do you really think Sasuke is defined by the Uchiha clan so much?" Itachi asked darkly. He needed to hammer this point to Naruto before it was too late. His chakra was fading and he still had to tell Naruto how to perform the jutsu if, that is, Naruto agreed.

"How do you think Sasuke would react if you told him about this? Would he allow you to take away his sharingan if it was the _only_ way?"

"But there is always another way-"

"No, Naruto!" Itachi shouted. "Sometimes there isn't another way!"

Naruto cringed then frowned, not looking directly at Itachi.

"Sasuke would refuse," he muttered after a moment of silence between them.

"Do you think so?" Itachi asked lightly.

Naruto nodded. Sasuke had been defined by his sharingan for so long, Naruto was sure that without it, Sasuke would be lost. Not to mention his pride. Naruto was no fool. He knew Sasuke was prideful and what he was most proud of was power- his power. The power given to him by his sharingan. Naruto was certain Sasuke would never allow that power to be taken away, and Naruto didn't want to force Sasuke to have to choose something like that, even if it was the last choice.

Itachi was not so certain. He observed Naruto silently for a moment, then noticed his chakra fading even faster, and spoke up hurriedly, taking a step forward as he said,

"Naruto, just allow me to teach you the technique, that's all. I only have enough chakra left to do that much. You can still make your own decisions once you've learned it and are out of this dream, but if you don't know how you won't even have the choice to make."

"I," Naruto paused, anxiously staring at the ground. Then he looked up and nodded, his jaw firmly set. "Okay."

Itachi barely had enough time to explain the sealing jutsu before the dream world he had created around them began to blur, signaling the end of his time. He stood before Naruto and looked down at him fondly, though Naruto was still nervously trying to decide how he could ever use the jutsu he'd just been taught.

"It's almost time for me to leave. When the last of my chakra fades, you will wake up."

"Itachi, should I- should I tell Sasuke about this? About you?" Naruto asked, seeming very child-like in Itachi's eyes.

Itachi just smiled fondly and reached out a hand to gently touch Naruto's cheek, muttering in a kind, brotherly tone of voice,

"That is up to you, Naruto."

Naruto suddenly realized that Itachi was not real. This had been part of a jutsu, just like his meeting with his mother and father. He felt horribly sad all of the sudden.

Itachi was already dead.

"I- it's not fair!" He yelled angrily, tears welling up in his eyes. "Why is it that I can only meet people who want to look after me and give me advice _after they've already died_? It isn't fair! You never got to be Sasuke's big brother! You never got to be my best friend's big brother! Why does it have to be this way, Itachi?"

He started to sob. It was messy, a very child-like way of crying. Itachi found it horribly endearing.

"Perhaps," he said and his voice seemed fainter than it had only a moment ago, "you were denied being with the people who loved you so that one day you would find someone to love you as much as all of those people combined."

Naruto's eyes grew wide and the scene around them faded completely, leaving them only in black. Naruto sniffed a few times then tried to smile. He was so grateful to Itachi. More than he could ever say.

As Itachi watched that smile forming on Naruto's face, realizing he only had a moment left before he was truly and forever gone from the world of the living, a selfish desire overcame him. He opened his mouth, though he was fading fast, and said softly,

"Naruto, if you do tell Sasuke about this, could also you tell him…" and then he trailed off, smiling sadly to himself. No, he wouldn't waste years of selflessness for one last selfish wish at the very end. He smiled a bright, dazzling smile as his body flickered, becoming ghost-like and transparent, and raised his hand. Naruto watched in awe, not able to hold back his tears as just the very tip of Itachi's fingers stretched out, fading to the density of light, reaching for the center of Naruto's forehead.

The last of his chakra faded away just as his fingertip tapped Naruto's forehead, the sensation so gentle it was like a tiny breeze ruffling his bangs.

A moment later, Naruto was jolted awake. Tears were streaming down his face, but he was smiling, and as Sasuke ran to him, grabbing his face in both of his hands and staring into Naruto's eyes with an alarmed expression, Naruto slowly reached up to touch the place on his forehead Itachi had used to silently convey his final message. It still felt cool to the touch.

* * *

"Naruto! Naruto!" Sasuke repeated hysterically, stroking the tears that lined Naruto's cheeks away. "You're crying, what happened?"

Then, almost in slow motion, he saw Naruto raise his hand and touch his forehead, the smile on his face just growing.

"Itachi," Naruto muttered hoarsely, reaching up with bright eyes to grasp Sasuke's shoulders. "I met Itachi."

He didn't even give Sasuke a chance to react before explaining his dream encounter, voice going a mile a minute. He'd already reached the part where Itachi told him the reason he was there when he stopped and noticed that Sakura, Kakashi, and Sai were all watching him as he spoke. He'd only seen Sasuke at first, but now he realized that what he needed to say was probably meant for Sasuke's ears only. He bit his lip, but then felt Sasuke squeeze his arm tightly. Naruto glanced at him only to find that Sasuke was frowning with emotional panic, his chest starting to heave up and down.

Naruto quickly and clumsily stood to his feet, pulling Sasuke by his arm away from their campsite and the prying eyes and ears of their friends. He didn't even bother to say anything to them. He knew they would understand.

Sasuke was the one who eventually pulled on his hand to make him stop. Naruto quickly spun around in time for Sasuke to ask breathlessly,

"How?"

Naruto then explained about the chakra, adding details of the other times he'd spoken to people who had already passed inside his own mind through the same technique Itachi used. Sasuke didn't argue with him, he seemed to accept what Naruto was saying as soon as it left his mouth.

"Why?" Sasuke then asked, a frown still present on his face.

"He said he- he said he wanted to help," Naruto muttered, wondering how exactly to bring up the topic of _how_ Itachi had planned to help. Then he added as an offhanded comment, "He said he liked me when we met before you- I mean before he-"

"Say it right," Sasuke corrected him firmly, his lips pressed in a tight line, his face paler than normal underneath the black sky and shining stars.

Naruto cringed, hating the way Sasuke beat himself up over his past, but he complied with Sasuke's demand anyway.

"Before you killed him…"

Sasuke visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes for a moment, then let out a deep breath.

"When you met before then, that was when he gave you his chakra?'

Naruto nodded.

"And the reason was because… he liked you?"

Naruto nodded again, smiling as he remembered how kind Itachi had been to him in their mental meeting. It seemed so real and so recent, everything stuck out to Naruto, made him want to describe the whole thing to Sasuke. He wished Sasuke could have been there! He felt as though it wasn't fair for either brother. Like life hadn't been fair for either brother.

"A- and you wanna know why else he wanted to help me?"

Sasuke looked up thoughtfully.

"He knew," Naruto said softly. "He knew about us. Even before _we_ knew, he knew. He said he could see that I cared about you in my eyes, and because of how determined I was. He said that me and him were similar because we both cared about you."

Sasuike was a bit taken aback. Hadn't he just been thinking the same thing about his brother and Naruto? And, wait, Naruto had just said that Itachi _knew_ about them! Did that mean-

"Naruto, did you tell him how we are now?"

Naruto began to blush lightly, and that was more than enough of an answer for Sasuke. Still, Naruto muttered quietly,

"Yeah, I… I even asked him for some advice on a few things, and he told me someth-" Naruto broke himself off as a thought occurred to him. Perhaps Sasuke didn't need to know about _everything_ he and Itachi had spoken about…

"He said that I didn't have to worry."

A soft smile appeared slowly on Naruto's face as he remembered Itachi's advice, and how nice it had felt just hearing it coming from an older-brother kind of person. He looked up and into Sasuke's eyes as he said thickly,

"He was a really good big brother, Sasuke."

Sasuke couldn't say a word in reply. He subconsciously reached up and touched the center of his forehead lightly. Naruto watched him, then extended his hand to hold onto Sasuke's in an act of companionship and understanding.

"I think that was his way of saying that he loved you."

Sasuke sniffed and shook his head. He had already cried for Itachi once, he didn't need to do it again, not in front of Naruto. Though he knew Naruto would understand, he just wanted Naruto to know that he was strong enough to protect them both. From anything.

"Was that all he wanted to say?" Sauske asked with gruff sarcasm. "He did all that just to tell me loved me. I- I already knew that."

"No," Naruto muttered, watching Sasuke carefully. "That wasn't all he had to say. He was there for a reason. He wanted to help us, Sasuke, because he knew the leaf would have a hard time accepting you back into the village."

"How could he help with that? He's dead."

"He gave me," Naruto swallowed thickly and Sasuke frowned, "a jutsu. A sealing jutsu."

"What does it seal?" Sasuke asked slowly.

Naruto looked up at him tensely, took a deep breath, and explained exactly the way Itachi had explained it to him. Sasuke didn't interrupt and allowed Naruto to tell him over and over that it was merely a last-resort option and would do nothing to Sasuke besides take away his sharingan. When he was finished, he glanced at Sasuke. The way Sasuke's expression hadn't changed the entire time he spoke made him anxious. There was silence for a pregnant moment until Sasuke muttered softly,

"Do it."

"See," Naruto said loudly, "I TOLD Itachi you would never agree to- Wait, what?"

Sasuke gave him a slight smirk. "I said do it."

Naruto didn't know what to say. He just gaped at Sasuke silently, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Sasuke shook his head, amused, then leaned forward, simultaneously placing his hand on top of Naruto's.

"You think I give a damn about my sharingan, Dobe?" he said casually, looking deeply into Naruto's eyes. His tone then shifted as he moved in even closer, his gaze steady on Naruto to add, "I don't care what I have to give up to be with you."

Naruto's hand underneath his dug into the ground and before Sasuke knew what happened Naruto pounced onto him, locking their lips together as the back of his head hit the forest floor.

The moment their lips touched, Naruto remembered that he was supposed to be keeping a distance from Sasuke but in that moment it didn't matter. Itachi had been right after all; Sasuke really loved him. He could hear it as Sasuke slid a hand to grab the back of his head to deepen the kiss.

And suddenly Naruto wanted him _so badly_, so _fucking_ badly that he felt a little light headed, a little crazy, a little _wild_ as if the nine-tails was taking over his body making his every skin cell vibrate with horrible, horrible longing. He was straddling Sasuke's waist and Sasuke could feel how Naruto's body was shifting and it affected him too. He sat up, his hands holding tightly onto Naruto's lower back, his tongue slipping inside the mouth that tasted so much better than it should have. Both of their chests were tight, constricting the rapidly beating hearts that drowned out any and all other sounds that might have sounded around them.

"Na- Naruto," Sasuke gasped as he separated their lips, "we can't."

And _God DAMN _Naruto for being so sexy, because the moment he said it, Sasuke felt like taking it back and kissing Naruto and not thinking about anything else for the rest of the night. No, for the rest of his _life._

But he felt like he couldn't give all his attention to Naruto in that moment. Or that perhaps he was tricking Naruto somehow and Naruto would've regretted it. Regretted doing it before they had everything figured out what they were really doing.

Even as he thought that, Sasuke held onto Naruto tighter, pressing his lips against the fabric of Naruto's shirt. He felt Naruto sigh, his breath tickling his ear, only making the whole thing that much more difficult.

"M'sorry," Naruto mumbled wearily. "Itachi was right."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Get used to that. What was he right about this time?"

"You. That you would agree to give up your sharingan. I didn't think you would."

"Didn't trust me?" Sasuke asked, not in a menacing or accusatory way, just a simple question.

"No!" Naruto replied quickly. "It wasn't that, I just thought… You care a lot about power, and so…"

Sasuke kissed him again before he could say another word.

_There is something I care about more now._

When he pulled away from the kiss, Naruto looked in the other direction with a frown.

"I really do have to tell everyone about us, don't I?"

"No," Sasuke replied. "You don't. Only you think you do."

"That's because I do!"

"Why?"

"Because I can't lie to them," Naruto replied unhappily. "Not about something as big as this."

Sasuke didn't reply. He was sure Naruto would do whatever he wanted no matter what he said, so he might as well not say anything at all. All of the sudden Naruto jumped up, looking horrible distressed. Sasuke tensed instantly but didn't sense anyone approaching or any danger around them at all. He looked up at Naruto curiously only to see the blonde put his hands on either side of his face and say loudly,

"Shit, Sasuke! What is Konohamaru gonna say?"

It actually took Sasuke a good minute to remember who Konohamaru was, then he leaned back, resting against his hands as he said nonchalantly,

"The third's grandson, right? Didn't he follow you around a lot when we were kids?"

"Yeah," Naruto groaned, sinking back to the ground and sitting beside Sasuke, his shoulders slumped to match his melancholy expression. "He really looks up to me. What'll he say when he finds out I'm, you know, n- not into girls anymore?"

Sasuke smirked, but stopped when he saw how seriously upset Naruto was. He sighed and said flatly,

"Would you care if you were him?"

Naruto looked up with wide eyes.

"Huh?"

"Would you care," Sasuke repeated slowly, "if you were him? Say Jiraiya turned out to be gay, would you respect him any less?"

"Of course not!" Naruto exclaimed then his eyes widened and he comprehended the point Sasuke was trying to make. He used his arm to cover his face as he chuckled at himself for getting so worked up.

"Why am I so stupid?" he asked to no one in particular.

"You wouldn't be my Dobe if you weren't." Sasuke said softly, leaning his shoulder into Naruto's. Naruto leaned back, enjoying the touch.

"Teme," Naruto muttered in reply. He then frowned unhappily and sighed, "…when we go back to the camp… you can't touch me again…"

Sasuke clenched his fists and scowled.

"You drag me out here, climb on top of me and kiss me… then you want us go back to avoiding each other?"

"Yes," Naruto replied shutting his eyes tightly closed.

"Fine," Sasuke spat. He then stood to his feet and offered Naruto his hand to stand as well. As soon as the blond was standing Sasuke gripped Naruto's hand and pulled him closer, bending his face towards Naruto's surprised blue eyes.

"But I want one more kiss."

With that, he pressed their lips together fiercely, silencing any reply Naruto was about to voice. And not only did he press their lips together, but he pressed their bodies together, grinding his hips into Naruto's until a groan escaped the mouth Sasuke was currently prying open with his tongue. He felt Naruto reply by lightly biting his lip and Sasuke slid his hands down Naruto's back slowly.

He was sure Naruto wasn't breathing as he deepened the kiss, turning his head and moving his lips in a way he hadn't tried before to intensify the sensations. He needed Naruto to be on the very edge to properly convey the message he needed to communicate.

"Fuc-" Naruto gasped before his lips were sealed closed by Sasuke's lips. He groaned loudly instead of speaking and his hands gripped Sasuke's sleeves tighter as Sasuke positioned his at the small of Naruto's back.

Sasuke felt a pressure build up underneath his skin. He wanted to push Naruto to the ground and force him, to rip his clothes off and become deaf to his screams of protest or invincible against the sting of his fist as he fought back. He wanted not to think about anything else, but then what?

He held himself back as he thrust his hips into Naruto's, feeling the way Naruto tensed when he did. As his hands slid lower to grasp Naruto's ass, he bucked his hips one last time as their lips meshed together and he finally conveyed the one thing he _really_ wanted to say to Naruto in that moment,

_When the time comes, I'm going to fuck you so hard even that damn nine-tails will feel it!_

Naruto's eyes shot open wide as Sasuke pushed them apart, wiping his mouth then looking up at Naruto with spinning, red eyes, his chest heaving up and down. Sasuke smirked then licked his lips. Sasuke's deep gaze and the thought he had just heard loud-and-clear made Naruto shudder. He then looked up and bit his lip, thinking to himself, _I'm sorry Itachi. You spoke to me for no good reason. I can't take his sharingan away after all._

When he looked back at Sasuke he saw him blink a few times and the red disappeared. Sasuke casually placed his hands in his pockets and began walking back towards the camp. He stopped a few feet away and looked back over his shoulder at Naruto to ask,

"You coming, Dobe?"

Naruto's whole body was still ablaze, but he nodded silently and hurried after Sasuke, making sure to keep a few feet between them so neither of them would be temped with more physical contact.

As he started to fall asleep, the only thing Naruto could think about, though he was supposed to be thinking of ways to convince the Leaf of Sasuke's goodness, was how in the hell he became the girl and why he didn't even seem to mind.

* * *

**They'll prolly reach the village next chapter. Just building sexual tension, you know how I do. XD**

**Please review!**

**KeikoPanda102**


	13. Part 12

Part 12:

Naruto felt much better about the coming confrontation now that he had spoken to Itachi and then Sasuke about it. He knew what he had to do. He had to tell the truth, to come clean about the reality of the situation.

And that reality was that he was in love with Sasuke Uchiha; and Sasuke was in love with him too, dammit! He was much more focused the next day, waking up early and planning their route so they would reach the Leaf in only one more day. He then asked Kakashi's opinion on the path they would take and once confirmed, told Sai to send another message to the village with an estimated time of arrival in case Tsunade and Shikamaru, and whoever else might show up, wanted to meet the five of them at the entrance gate.

Though he still didn't have much of a plan in place, he wasn't letting himself think to hard about the potential consequences if he didn't get through. He was confident.

It was just as he'd always thought; doubting himself never got him anywhere!

Sasuke was less enthused about the coming faceoff. In fact, he was less enthused about much of anything. The only thing occupying his mind was getting his hands on Naruto's body in some way or form. Sure he had acted very blasé about it the night before, walking away like it was nothing at all, but in reality it was everything.

Of course it wasn't just that Sasuke purely wanted Naruto's body and when he got it he would be satisfied, it was only like that now because they hadn't had a chance to go all the way yet and it was _killing_ Sasuke whenever he thought about that. Sex had always been a non-entity for him. The only thing that ever got his blood pumping when he was younger was fighting. Looking back, his battles with Naruto were always the most exciting. He felt that kind of fit, not to mention added to his increasing suspicion that he'd been wanted to fuck Naruto for way longer than the two of them really realized.

Considering that, all this waiting was just absolute torture for Sasuke. He didn't care what happened once they reached the village but he and Naruto had better do it soon or he was going to find himself in a heap of trouble when his hormones took over his brain and tried to rape Naruto without a second thought. He just wanted to get it over with, but he knew it wasn't going to be that kind of thing.

Honestly, he didn't have any idea what it was going to be like at all. Curiosity was just another factor adding to his impatience. The little bits of foreplay he and Naruto had already tried were already mind-blowing enough- how could the real thing possibly top Naruto sucking him off?

Sasuke groaned softly just remembering it.

"Did you say something, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked lightly, turning back as they all continued walking down the road.

Sasuke stumbled when he heard Kakashi say his name but was smooth enough to make it look purposeful. He continued walking a little bit slower to keep behind everyone else, and as far from Naruto, who was in the front, as possible.

"No," he replied steadily, not catching Kakashi's eye.

"Hm, I thought I heard something," Kakashi mumbled, turning back towards the direction they were walking. "Must have just been the wind."

Sasuke exhaled quietly as his eyes began to slide along the road until they found orange. He cursed silently to himself for not being able to resist staring at Naruto but it really wasn't his fault. Sex was the only thing on his mind. He just couldn't help himself.

He watched the way Naruto's ass moved when he walked and his heart beat a little bit faster. He felt like a pervert. Why the hell was he looking at someone's ass? His eye caught orange again and he remembered: because it was Naruto's ass, that's why.

Though he didn't notice, Kakashi's sudden question had brought Sasuke to the attention of both Sai and Sakura, who were discretely glancing back at him as they continued walking in silence. They both saw the way he stared at Naruto: hungrily, like some sort of wild animal. Sakura then caught Sai's eye and glanced between Sasuke and Naruto, then back at him. Sai nodded, understanding her message loud-and-clear; they needed to do something about Sasuke.

Luckily for them, an opportunity came that evening to speak with him alone. They were passing through a small village when Kakashi noticed the sun sinking in the sky.

"Why don't we get a hotel tonight? We have plenty of money, and we'll reach The Leaf tomorrow afternoon so we won't need it anymore."

Naruto hesitated, wondering whether that idea was such a good one. What if they ended up needing that money if the village turned them away again? But at the excited enthusiasm from Sakura, he smiled and decided this was a whim worth risking. Besides, they would need all the sleep they could get.

Sasuke didn't let it show on his face but at the word "hotel," his heart had leapt like he'd been given an electric shock. If he and Naruto shared a room, that would be the perfect opportunity to-

"S- Sasuke and Sai can have a room, and Kakashi and I, and Sakura can have her own." Naruto said, turning away so as to not catch Sasuke's gaze.

Sasuke was sure Naruto had been thinking the same thing he'd just been thinking, but instead of wanting it, had made a clear statement that it was not going to happen.

"Looks like we'll be sharing, huh Sasuke?" Sai said, a friendly fake smile on his face. Sasuke stared at him, wishing he could drill a hold through his smug little face.

"Perhaps, so that we keep the casualties to a minimum, I share with Sai-" Kakashi said, but Naruto cut him off.

"No! No, I can share with Sai, that way-"

He was in turn cut off by the deep growl that came from Sasuke, followed by a calm statement of,

"I'm not going to kill him, the art freak and I can share, it's… fine."

Naruto, quite obviously, might I add, refused to look in Sasuke's direction as he nodded his agreement and hurried inside the nearest shop to ask directions to the town's inn.

When they found the inn it was already getting dark outside. All five of them ate dinner at the restaurant beside the hotel then slowly separated into their different rooms.

As soon as Sasuke collapsed onto his bed, looking forward to whatever kind of Naruto-filled dreams he might be in store for, Sai and Sakura bore down upon him, not even bothering to hide their intensions.

"You know Sasuke," Sakura began in a tone of voice that made Sasuke want to incinerate her vocal chords, "I always liked you because you _weren't_ a pervert. What happened?"

"I am not a pervert," Sasuke replied slowly, sitting on the edge of his bed to face Sakura and Sai who were staring at him, both with their arms crossed like they meant business.

Frankly though, whatever business they meant wasn't their business at all, so they really shouldn't mean it to begin with, considering that it was none of their business. Since when did fantasizing about somebody, especially somebody you actually cared about, become a crime? Sure, he didn't like admitting he was doing it, and he wouldn't be admitting that at all, because it made him seem very uncool, but was it really such a big deal if he was doing it? He didn't think so.

"You've done nothing the past few days but stare at Naruto's cute little ass as we walked."

"_Don't_ call his ass cute." Sasuke flashed his sharingan in Sai's direction to make his point even clearer, though he was pretty sure Sai got the message.

Sai flinched but pulled himself together quicker than Sasuke expected.

"You get really defensive when it comes to Naruto, did you know that?"

"I do _now_," Sasuke spat, then turned to Sakura because he felt his blood pressure rising every second longer he saw Sai's face. "Is that all you wanted to say?"

"No. I mostly wanted to warn to not keep doing what you've been doing because it's going to ruin our chances of getting back into The Leaf. If people see you staring at Naruto like that they will instantly know something is up."

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes.

"The people in the Leaf village are too dumb to figure it out on their own. It's not like it matters though. Naruto is planning on telling them himself."

Both Sai and Sakura were quite taken aback by this statement. Sasuke was glad for this because he was tired of all their accusing him of being a pervert.

"_That_ is his plan?" Sakura screeched. "He said he had a plan! How the hell is _that_ a plan?"

Sasuke shrugged. He wasn't going to argue with Sakura about this. It was bad enough wanted to argue with Naruto about it. He still found himself daydreaming about the two of them running away together. Not that it was going to happen, but it was nice to dream.

"He cannot do that," Sai said firmly, and it was the first time Sasuke thought the imposter was actually being serious.

"Why not?"

"Not everyone in the Leaf is so open-minded. He'll be shunned and-"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

Three pairs of eyes flew quickly to the doorway where stood Naruto, looking perfectly calm. Sai was the first to speak up in reply,

"Naruto, this is insane. If the Leaf didn't already hate Sasuke enough, once you tell them the truth they'll hate him even more. I promise you that's what will happen because that's exactly how I felt when I figured it out!"

"But you understood, didn't you?" Naruto asked, his eyes shining dangerously in the dim light of the hotel room. "There's no way anyone will be able to understand if I don't tell them the truth! And if they hate Sasuke because of it then they will have to hate me too!"

"But if they won't let you come back-"

"Then I won't go back!" Naruto said firmly. Out of the corner of his eye Sasuke saw Kakashi standing in the doorway. Everyone in the room seemed to sense that Naruto had made another decision. Sasuke was sure no one would particularly like this one either. Why was it that the things Naruto said always upset people?

"All of you," Naruto began softly, "Kakashi-sensei, Sai, and Sakura… You have to promise me that if the village turns me and Sasuke away, you will return without us."

"No!" Sakura exclaimed, throwing her arms around Naruto's shoulders. "The Leaf isn't the same without you, Naruto!"

Sasuke had the painful gut feeling again that Naruto and Sakura had grown very close and experienced many things together while he was not with them. But he remembered that Naruto was doing all of these things for him and no one else. He was special to Naruto. Their bond was deeper than any bond so far seen. He wished he could do more to show that Naruto was special to him too.

"Sakura, do you promise?" Naruto asked seriously.

She nodded and hugged him tighter. Upon seeing Sakura agree, Sai silently dropped his head in acquiescence. Kakashi smiled and nodded as well. With a sigh, Naruto pushed Sakura gently away.

"Good," He said. "Now I need to talk to Sasuke alone for a minute, is that okay?"

Though a bit upset by this, the others filed out of the room, Sakura motioning that she was watching Sasuke behind Naruto's back before she left. He rolled his eyes then nervously waited as Naruto sat beside him on the bed, staring down at the floor silently.

"Tomorrow's the day…" He said thickly.

"Hn." Sasuke was waiting for something more, because he knew there was more to come, he just couldn't tell what it would be.

"I need you to promise me something too."

Sasuke didn't like the sound of that. Naruto still wasn't looking at him, his eyes fixed on the intricately carpeted floor.

"I dunno how it's gonna go tomorrow," Naruto said lowly, "but I have a plan, and for my plan to work… you need to do everything I say."

Sasuke found that when he was around Naruto alone, he often felt like they were underwater. Neither of them could really breathe nor move right. Everything seemed slowed by liquid friction and the pressure built up inside Sasuke the longer he spent with Naruto, like he was being pulled under.

"Alright," he replied clearly, staring at Naruto's toes against the rug. He was very aware of the bed they were sitting on and the fact that they were quite alone.

"Seriously, Sasuke. Anything I say, you have to do it right then. No objections or arguing."

"You've got a plan, right?"

Naruto nodded, looking Sasuke dead in the eyes. Sasuke slowly began to nod as well, facing towards the floor again.

"I hope your plans are better than they were when we were kids, Dobe," Sasuke smirked playfully.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed. "My plans were always great! Teme!"

"Creative maybe, but great… no." Sasuke leaned back on the bed. "I don't remember one of your plans ever actually working."

"This one will," Naruto replied, his voice filled with a very Naruto-esque determination and confidence that seemed to come from nowhere.

Sasuke was almost glad for the distraction his hormones gave him in his head because this was exactly when he would have been arguing with Naruto about being overly confident. If it weren't for Naruto's delicious smell invading his air he would have tried to convince Naruto to tell him what the plan was so he could be prepared, or argue some more about the plan being stupid and try to come up with a different one. He really was loosing his mind to Naruto's sexual appeal.

His eyes fell to the edge of the bed where Naruto was sitting, silently thinking, off in his own world, seeming like he was hardly aware Sasuke was even still beside him. Sasuke bit his lip as his whole body started to ache with the desire to touch Naruto. Just to touch him. That was all he wanted.

He watched as he slid his hand closer to Naruto's leg. He moved slowly, like Naruto was a wild animal he didn't want to scare. And then right when he was just barely touching the fabric of those orange pants, Naruto spun around and climbed on top of him, surprising Sasuke more than he would have liked to admit. Letting himself be surprised so easily wasn't a very shinobi-like thing to do. He needed to stop daydreaming and focus, but now that Naruto was on top of him, he was sure focusing on anything but Naruto's skin was going to be a severe challenge.

All of the sudden Naruto's mouth was right beside his ear. His hands were clutching Sasuke's shirt tightly and his voice was soft and sweet as he whispered lowly,

"There's one more thing I need you to do for me."

Sasuke listened intently to Naruto's next request. His eyes widened as Naruto spoke. Surely he didn't want Sasuke to-

"I'll give you a signal… then you have to do it."

"What signal?" Sasuke asked, and his voice nearly broke. Naruto was serious.

"You'll know when I give it," Naruto exhaled, his breath tickling Sasuke's ear like some obscene wind.

"But why?" Sasuke whispered.

Naruto squeezed Sasuke a little tighter and murmured, "I'm scared that I won't be able to say it. If that happens… then it's up to you."

Then, as if what'd he'd just done was nothing at all, he climbed off of Sasuke, his fingers leaving Sasuke with an aching where they'd just been holding onto his chest. He started to stand and walk towards the door, and Sasuke was done with it.

He grabbed the back of Naruto's jacket and, without even bothering to hold back, slammed Naruto down onto the floor.

"You," he said, breathing heavily, "are not a girl, so I don't have to be gentle or chivalrous with you." He got down on top of Naruto, holding both of the blonde's hands above his head, and added, "I want to fuck you, Naruto."

With his head spinning deliriously, he forced his mouth onto Naruto's, savoring the flavor of those lips before they opened and Sasuke deepened the kiss, hoping that this was Naruto allowing him to continue. He was not, though, allowing Sasuke to continue. A second later, just as Sasuke slipped his tongue inside his mouth, Naruto bit it, distracting Sasuke enough so he could free his hands and push Sasuke over and climb on top of him instead.

Sasuke tasted blood in his mouth as he looked up at Naruto glaring down at him. He didn't feel particularly bad though. His heart was racing rather fast from the excitement of forcing Naruto, the energy of it, the passion that he let slip through that he usually tried to hide or ignore. But when Naruto spoke (even in that situation, his voice sending sparks down Sasuke's back), Sasuke realized that he maybe should feel a little bit bad.

"_Don't_," Naruto said firmly, his hand gripping Sasuke's arm like a vice, "try and act like you're the only one who wants this!"

"Hn," Sasuke snorted, trying not to look directly into Naruto's eyes.

"Teme! Don't gimme that! I wanna do it too, you know? I- I wanna do it so bad I have to keep telling myself not to think about it, and I have dreams about it every night, and I feel like even more of a pervert than ever because it's my best friend I'm thinking about! I'm even thinking about it right now, and right then when I- when I hugged you. It was just because I wanted to feel you're um, closeness?" Naruto cringed at his own choice of words but continued, "Ah, dammit, I sound like an idiot, but it's true. I want it just as badly as you do! You have to believe me! But, Sasuke, we can't. We can't. You know?"

Sasuke was surprised. He'd always known Naruto was good at blurting out whatever the hell came into his mind at any given moment, but he'd never heard anyone speak so honestly about something so embarrassing. Naruto face was red, and Sasuke thought his face was probably red too.

Sasuke took a deep breath and sighed.

"Yeah," he murmured unhappily. "I know."

Naruto sighed as well and released Sasuke's hands, standing and then helping Sasuke to his feet.

"Did you have to bite so hard, Dobe?" Sasuke growled as he touched the tip of his tongue with his finger tentatively.

"You're not a girl, so I don't have to be gentle with you, right?" Naruto mocked with a cocky smile.

Sasuke glared, but somehow he felt better. He had the sudden desire to ask Naruto to kiss his tongue better for him, but imagined that wouldn't go over so well. He just sighed once again in exasperation and vague annoyance.

Naruto put his hands in his pockets and yawned.

"Guess we should get some sleep," he said in a tired voice.

"Not together, I'm assuming," Sasuke replied sulkingly.

Naruto shifted awkwardly by the doorway then shook his head. Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat back down on his bed as Naruto slowly opened the door of the hotel room and began to leave. He stopped halfway through, not even looking back as a smile played on his lips and he muttered cheerfully,

"I know it kinda seems like all this sucks right now; not being able to be together, and not knowing if we'll be able to stay in the Leaf… but I think it coulda turned out a whole lot worse, hm, Sasuke?"

With that, he left, leaving Sasuke to think carefully about what Naruto had said, and the real, serious truth behind it. Naruto was right beyond compare. It made Sasuke feel like a bit of a moron for taking everything so seriously when in reality everything was amazing. Everything was more perfect than it ever had been in his life. Not only was Sasuke's hate gone, he had found something worth living for again. And it wasn't one-sided, and it wasn't just physical, and it was with Naruto of all people. Of all the outcomes that might have been, this was by far better than, than… than what Naruto predicted a few years ago; that they would kill each other.

Yes, surely this was better than that.

So what if the Leaf turned them away? They had each other. And even if the Leaf turned them away, they would finally be alone, just the two of them without Sakura, Kakashi, or that Sai tagging along and mussing everything up.

Sasuke lay in the bed and drifted off to sleep, looking forward to whatever finality tomorrow would bring.

Naruto, on the other hand, and despite his calm, confident words, was a nervous wreck. In all honesty he wished he could have slept with Sasuke. The body heat and closeness might have had a calming effect on him. Even though he'd said that what was happening now was better than what could have happened, what was happening now was a big deal to Naruto.

He knew that what happened tomorrow was going to change his whole life. Whether they let him come back to the village with Sasuke or not, once he confessed their true relationship everyone's opinions about him would change whether he liked it or not.

Unless he could find a way to convey it to them so they understood how he _felt_. He knew his friends weren't unreasonable or close-minded, but if they didn't understand then it would be pointless because their shock and non-understanding would cause them to ignore reason and react in a way Naruto wasn't sure he could bear.

If they shunned him because he chose Sasuke that was one thing. If they shunned him because he chose a male that was something else entirely.

Naruto eventually let these worry fall from his mind long enough to get to sleep, and had a strange dream that flipped back and forth between he and Sasuke kissing to his friends telling him he was disgusting and not even worth having in the village.

Needless to say, when he woke up the next morning it was on the wrong side of the bed and he felt like he didn't have a stomach at all. When he tried eating breakfast with the others he got a bit light-headed and pushed his plate away from him to stare out of the window and worry about what he would be doing in just a few short hours.

Sakura sighed when she saw the way Naruto pushed his plate away from him. She was a bit surprised to hear someone else sigh at exactly the same time right beside her. She glanced at Sasuke and saw that his dark eyes were trained worriedly on Naruto. Seeing Sasuke look so caring about someone made her feel a bit conflicted. She thought it was sweet and nice for Naruto, but she couldn't help feeling like it wasn't fair. There was no way Sasuke would ever look at her like that, no matter how much or how long she'd loved him.

She shrugged those bad feelings off though, because she didn't actually love Sasuke anymore. She had to work even now just to like him. But he was worried about Naruto, and that was something she could admire in a person. Anyone who worried about Naruto was worth something at least.

After breakfast they set out. They were close enough to home they didn't really need the map anymore, just to follow the main road that led to the large gates of the Leaf village where, unbeknownst to them, more than just a few people were waiting very impatiently to meet them.

* * *

Cloud watching had always been his favorite pastime. Even since he was a kid he and his best friend had snuck away from everyone else just to stare up at sky for hours on end (or at least until Choji's stomach interrupted). It was so pleasing and relaxing and completely non-stressful. Others, like Ino, thought it was kinda boring, but he never felt that way. Clouds were just these peaceful, fluffy, white things up in the sky that sometimes looked like they made shapes, and he loved watching them.

But today it didn't matter that it was perfect cloud watching weather, the sky a bright blue with just a hint of a breeze to move along the few clouds that drifted lazily across the open air.

Shikamaru saw nothing but the road that stretched out beyond the gates of the Leaf. His eyes hadn't left that road since he arrived.

Choji was beginning to worry a little bit about his friend. He hadn't been acting normal ever since the failed assassination attempt on Sasuke. Naruto actions had surprised him more than he'd expected.

"Shikamaru," Choji said gently, trying to soften the stern gaze Shikamaru had set on the road ahead. "Um, didn't Sai's message say they wouldn't be getting here until around noon? Why are we here so early?"

"They may be trying to trick us and get here early to sneak Sasuke inside the village. You can't be so trusting, Choji." Shikamaru replied, his scowl deepening.

"You think they would really lie to us like that? Come on, Shikamaru, these are our friends…"

"They've been with Sasuke too long! They might be under a genjutsu. I just don't want to take any chances so we got here early to watch the gate."

Off to the side, in the small hut they always seemed to be stationed at, Izumo and Kotetsu glanced at each other nervously. They'd never seen Shikamaru to serious before.

"Er," Izumo said to get Shikamaru and Choji's attention. "You know we're here guarding the gate too, right Shikamaru? You don't have to worry so much."

"It's fine," Shikamaru replied, turning back to the road leading out of the village. "I wasn't doing anything anyway."

Kotetsu and Izumo's eyes widened when they exchanged another glance. Shikamaru's favorite thing was not doing anything! Why would he purposely come here to make himself have something to do?

"But isn't watching the gate kind of a… drag?" Kotetsu asked cleverly, holding his breath for Shikamaru's reply, a reply that never came because the next moment Iruka appeared walking towards the gate, waving at the four men already standing guard.

"Shikamaru and Choji," he said when he came to stop at the gate, "Why are the two of you here already?"

"Hi Iruka-sensei. Um, Shikamaru made me come and watch the gate with him. We've been here since morning." Choji replied.

Iruka was as surprised at this information as Kotetsu and Izuma had been. Shikamaru didn't take his eyes off the road in front of him. The four others stared at him awkwardly until Choji turned to Iruka and asked, to try and break the silent tension,

"Why are you here, Sensei?"

"Waiting for Naruto and the other's of course. I've been worried sick about them."

"How did you know he would be coming here today?"

"Konohamaru snuck into the Hokage's office and took a look at Sai's message. He told practically the whole village. I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up here any minute now to wait for Naruto too."

Iruka's prediction came true not half an hour later when Konohamaru raced up the dirt road towards the gate, followed slowly by his teammates Moegi and Udon. Almost as soon as he greeted Iruka and the others, Kiba, siting atop Akamaru, came around the corner also headed for the gates of the Leaf. He was having an animated discussion with Shino and Hinata (though he was the one doing most of the discussing) and only noticed the others already at the gate when he was at the gate itself.

"Woah! I thought we'd be the only ones coming to see what Naruto's gonna do today." He said as he slid off Akamaru and the great dog lied lazily at his feet.

Only a few moments later the already sizeable group standing in wait at the gates was added to when Rock Lee, Neji, Tenten, and Ino appeared.

"There're so many people here!" Ino said when she reached the group. "It's like half the village!"

"I'm sure Yamato would be here too if he weren't out on a mission," Iruka said thoughtfully.

"We're just missing Granny!" Konohamaru said loudly. "She better get here soon, it's almost noon!"

Lady Tsunade sneezed loudly as she and Shizune rounded a corner heading towards the gates of the Leaf village. She rubbed her nose and scowled unhappily, muttering,

"Damn allergies… I hate this season, I always get all stuffy."

Shizune sighed, adjusting TonTon in her arms as she asked nervously,

"Lady Tsunade… How do you think today is going to go? Do you have any idea what Naruto's planning to do?"

Tsunade's face fell and she stared at the ground in front of her as she slowed her pace and answered softly,

"I have no idea. But nobody ever really knows what that little brat's gonna do."

Shizune didn't miss the fondness in Tsunade's voice and chuckled lightly.

"That unpredictability of his is kind of Naruto's calling card, isn't it?"

Tsunade sighed.

"Yeah, it is. And it seems like he made sure Konohamaru had the same annoying nature. That kid better not have spread what was in Sai's message to everyone. It won't be good if half the village i -"

She stopped midway through her sentence because the moment she turned the next corner and the gates of the village came into view- so did everyone who was already standing and waiting for the meeting that was supposed to happen at noon.

"Hey!" she heard Konohamaru yell as he waved at her and Shizune. "There she is!"

She stared, shocked, at all the people who had gathered to see the outcome of today's confrontation with Naruto. She knew Konohamaru had probably told everyone the time from Sai's message but she didn't expect them to all come as spectators. Then, as she stared at their faces, she remembered that each and every one of these people loved Naruto. They were here for him.

Tsunade was sure that his banishment hadn't sat right with any of them, most of all Shikamaru, the one who had declared the banishment in the first place. He still doubted his actions from that day and felt resentment towards Naruto for forcing him to make a decision like that at all. She didn't like the cold expression plastered across his face as he continually stared out into the road leading away from the gate. She'd had a feeling he would be here today, but the others came as a surprise. She worried about what might happen if today's meeting escaladed to a fight with everyone getting involved. Judging from his serious and sour disposition, it seemed as though Shikamaru was almost hoping for a fight.

"You're late, Granny!" Konohamaru teased as Tsunade approached the group of people wearing a frightening scowl.

"If I were late then Naruto'd be here already, Brat! How come all of you are here then? Shouldn't you be out doing something productive with your days off?" She noticed Izumo and Kotetsu, who had left the little guard hut just inside the gates to mingle with the others, and pointed at them with her perfectly manicured nails, growling threateningly, "And you two! What are you doing here, huh? Didn't I send you off somewhere to do something?"

"You sent us _here_, Lady Tsunade," Izumo replied nervously.

"To guard the gates, like we always do," Kotetsu added as he brought a hand up to stifle a yawn.

Tsunade stared back at them blankly for a moment, then regained her composure and stuck her nose up as she said lightly,

"Well… Good job, then."

Shizune and a few others laughed, then the conversation turned to Naruto and the reason they were all there; Sasuke Uchiha.

"Wasn't fighting him was actually a bit easier than you expected it to be?" Ino asked the other members of the rookie nine thoughtfully. "It didn't take very much to beat him."

"Yes," Neji added. "I agree. We beat him far to quickly. There was something off about him."

"It was as it he was not fighting for anything," Lee said.

"Even Shikamaru's shadow-binding jutsu!" Ino said with a frown. "In the past he would have been able to break free from something like that. It was like he wasn't trying at all."

"Well I'd hate to see what you all would have looked like if he _had_ been trying!" Iruka said, frowning. "When you returned each one of you looked like you'd just tried to wrestle a bear by yourselves!"

"He's strong," Shikamaru finally spoke up, though his eyes didn't leave the road before him. "We knew that when we attacked him, and we know that now."

The others were silent for a moment; all were worried about the ominous double meaning behind Shikamaru's words. He expected them to have to fight again. It wasn't as though they didn't predict the same thing. There was a reason they ere all wearing their shinobi gear and not normal clothes. They were all prepared to fight if the time came.

They just weren't sure if they were prepared to fight if it meant fighting against Naruto.

"Hopefully…" Everyone froze in their train of thought to silently listen to Shikamaru's next words. The air was tense and Shikamaru closed his eyes to mutter,

"Hopefully Naruto has come to the right decision. If he has, then he'll show up here without Sasuke and never think of trying to bring Sasuke back again. We did make him a very good offer. It's time he stopped chasing after his past and became the Hokage for good!"

Everyone continued in silence for another moment, then Choji placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder and asked softly, "Will you be satisfied then, Shikamaru? If he simply promises to forget about Sasuke?"

Shikamaru clenched his jaw tightly and ground his teeth together.

"As long as he doesn't interfere with the Leaf ever again, I could give a damn what happens to Sasuke Uchiha."

With those firm, final words on the subject, Shikamaru returned to staring blankly at the road before him. Shizune leaned closely towards Tsunade and whispered,

"What are the chances that Naruto is going to show up without Sasuke?"

A few of the others heard her whispered question and turned in to see what their Hokage would say in reply. Tsunade closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Even I'm not stupid enough to take that bet…"

The mood turned dark after that, with less socializing and more worrying. No one wanted to talk about what they would do if Naruto refused the offer they'd put on the table again. Everyone was hoping against hope that another, more reasonable decision could be made if Naruto really did show up with Sasuke by his side in blatant refusal of the offer of Hokage.

Finally, a little after noon, Neji, who had been leaning against the large gate doors, stood up facing the road. Everyone turned to him as he narrowed his pale eyes and said lowly,

"I see someone coming."

"Is it Naruto and the others?" Ino asked tentatively.

"Yes," Shikamaru answered before Neji got the chance. "It's them."

Everyone was holding their breath and staring intently at the road ahead. Far off they could just barely see figures coming towards the gates. Finally, Kiba smiled wide when he recognized the signature orange jacket of Naruto Uzumaki.

"It's Naruto! I can see him!" He yelled cheerfully.

"Alright!" Konohamaru punched the air in celebration. "The boss is back!"

"Don't get your hopes up just yet, kid," Kotetsu cautioned lightly.

As the group of people approached, Naruto heading out front, the tension on the other side of the gate could have been cut with a kunai it was so thick. Everyone was waiting to see what Naruto's choice was. Did he bring Sasuke with him, or was he ready to be the next Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village?

"I see Sakura!" Ino said, as the group got closer.

"Kakashi's there too," Iruka muttered under his breath, wringing his hands together nervously.

"And Sai beside him," Tenten added.

Then there was silence. The group headed by Naruto continued coming closer to the gates. Tsunade and Shikamaru stood side by side in front of the rest of the bystanders; the diplomacy of this meeting was to be handled by them.

Naruto's outline grew bigger as he and other others got closer to the gates. Everyone on the other side was holding their breath, hoping desperately for an easy solution. They were tired of not having Naruto as part of "them." They wanted him back in the Leaf and they wanted him to be Hokage so he could finally have the dream he'd worked so hard for. They didn't see Sasuke with the group, but worried they might have hid him and no one was going to believe he really wasn't there until Naruto himself confirmed it.

Finally, Naruto stopped about 20 feet from the gates of the Leaf. Kakashi, Sai, and Sakura stopped just behind him, the latter turning to cast him a nervous glance and bite her lip. The wind picked up and the sun came out from behind a cloud, shining so brightly Naruto put a hand up to shield his eyes as he squinted, looking at his friends and companions just on the other side of the gates. He looked calm and sure as he smiled his dazzling smile, blinding all who saw it even more than the sun.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled impatiently, trying not to let his hopes rise lest they be smashed in the next moment. "What is your decision?"

Naruto's smile fell slowly, and then his head, until his eyes were shaded beneath his bright blond bangs. Everyone held their breath until finally he raised his head again, his eyes firmly set, and said clearly, so all could hear,

"Sasuke."

Sai and Kakashi parted behind Naruto and, with confident steps, Sasuke walked between them to stand directly at Naruto's side, bravely facing the obviously disgruntled group on the other side of the gates he hadn't stepped foot inside since he had abandoned the village they guarded so many years ago.

The mood was now tense. Tsunade shook her head sadly as Shikamaru frowned, trying not to let his anger get the better of him. How had he spent so many years of his life anger-free? What had been his secret?

Shikamaru actually knew the answer to that question. The secret was not caring, but he could no longer afford to not care. Naruto's actions were so far beyond inconceivable to him; he didn't have any choice but to succumb to his anger in order to escape his confusion and non-understanding.

"So this is what you've chosen?"

* * *

**DUN DUN DUUUUN. Well, it's confrontation time it seems. Sorry this took so long, but I'm moving and that's been all crazy and junk. Hopefully I will be more determined to write in my new home! XD**

**Pleeease review!**


	14. Part 13

Part 13:

"So this is what you've chosen?" Shikamaru asked loudly.

He stood in front of the group of Leaf shinobi facing Naruto. His posture matched Naruto's; neither was going to give up without a fight.

"Yes," Naruto replied, nodded his head as Sasuke stood silently at his side. "It is."

A wall crashed down between the two sides. The others watching felt mixtures of Shikamaru's anger and Tsunade's sadness; no one had wanted this outcome. The wall dividing them was thick; it was as though the gates of the Leaf had been shut as soon as Sasuke appeared from behind Sai and Kakashi. As though the Leaf itself didn't want him back.

Then, all of the sudden and out of nowhere, a figure pushed through the crowd that was supposed to be trapped behind the wall and marched straight through the invisible boundary as if it were nothing. No one could do anything but look on as Iruka tromped straight past the speechless Shikamaru and out of the Leaf gates in a beeline towards Naruto. The blonde's eyes went wide as his old teacher came straight up to him, frowning with motherly reprimanding shining in his eyes, and without a second thought, threw his arms around Naruto's shoulders and squeezed him tight.

"You had me worried sick," Iruka said as he let out a long sigh. Then he pulled back from the hug and hit Naruto across the top of his head with his fist. "Idiot!"

"Owww!" Naruto cried, holding the place on his head that Iruka had hit. "That hurt, Iruka-sensei!"

"I cannot believe you just up and left the village like that!" Iruka ranted loudly. "You give me such headaches Naruto Uzumaki."

"I'm sorry Sensei, but what was I supposed to do?"

Iruka exhaled from his nose and placed a hand on his hip, looking at Naruto like he was still a little 10-year-old troublemaker. Then his gaze softened and he shook his head.

"I'm just glad you're back," he said with a small smile. Naruto's face darkened as he replied,

"Don't be glad yet, Sensei…"

Iruka smiled. "I'm not worried. I have confidence that you will be able to work all of this out."

Iruka's words of confidence earned him a bright smile from his very favorite student. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder then glanced back at Shikamaru, Naruto's bright blue eyes following his gaze. As Naruto once again became focused wholly on his goal, Iruka stepped behind him and beside Kakashi to whisper softly,

"Thank you for looking out for him like I asked, Kakashi."

"No problem," Kakashi replied with a smile.

Iruka sighed once again and muttered under his breath, "He'd better have a good reason for all this nonsense..."

"Oh," Kakashi muttered back with a knowing glint in his dark gray eyes, "he does. Nee, Iruka-sensei, you aren't the type of faint after hearing something shocking, are you?"

"**Huh**?"

"Never mind."

Iruka's sudden action in stomping through the gates to reunite with Naruto caught every one else off guard. Especially Shikamaru, though he didn't allow himself to stay shocked for long. He knew there was nothing he could do about that. Naruto was a very important person to the village, after all, not to mention how important he was to all the people within the village.

As soon as Iruka said his piece and left Naruto's side though, it was back to business. Sasuke was there, standing right at Naruto's side, and Naruto looked as though he were more than okay with that the way it was.

Shikamaru cursed silently to himself. He had hoped, and discussed this hope with the Hokage, that Naruto's time with Sasuke would cure him of whatever insanity it was that still held him to the estranged Uchiha. He could see clearly from the posture of both Naruto and Sasuke that their bond was as strong as it had ever been, perhaps even stronger.

Shikamaru feared this could get very bad. If, instead of becoming distanced from Sasuke, Naruto had grown closer, that would only mean Naruto would be that much more determined to convince him and everyone else to allowing Sasuke to return to the village.

But he could _not_ allow that! Sasuke was completely untrustworthy in Shikamaru's eyes. He wouldn't have even put it past the Uchiha to have placed some sort of genjutsu on Naruto and the others that led them to trust him. Sasuke was the reason behind too much pain for the Leaf village to allow him to return, no matter what Naruto thought!

Taking a deep breath, Shikamaru spoke.

"Apparently you didn't understand clearly the message we gave Sai to deliver to you. There is no return for you if you cannot give up on Sasuke Uchiha. You've made it obvious that you have no plan to part with Sasuke, so I ask; what are you doing here, Naruto?"

Naruto took a deep breath before he spoke as well. Sasuke could see that he was shaking very faintly. He could see where Naruto was coming from a little. It was easy to stand strong and firm when facing someone before a battle, but neither he nor Naruto had much experience in this kind of scenario; having to explain something difficult to friends who may not understand. It was no wonder Naruto was nervous. He was under a lot of pressure. Sasuke felt a twinge of guilt simply because he knew he was the reason for all of this in the first place. He kept his gaze towards the ground as Naruto's sweet voice filled his ears.

"You were right about one thing, Shikamaru," he began calmly. "I have no plans that would require separating from Sasuke any time soon. I know this isn't what you want, but it's just the way it is.

"As far as what I'm doing here…" he slowed and his shoulders tensed. Sasuke looked up as Naruto took another shuddering breath and said, "I'm here to explain why."

Shikamaru flinched.

"Why _what_?"

Naruto sighed. "If I were you, I would want to know why, and I'm here to explain why even if maybe just explaining that doesn't change your mind about Sasuke at all. I just need you to know why."

"Alright…" Shikamaru replied slowly. "Explain _why_."

"Before I do, I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

"Let Sakura and Kakashi back in the village. I don't need to drag them along with me. Even if you turn me away, allow them to stay. Please, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru bit his tongue and frowned, thinking it over, contemplating all the different ways it could be a trick or a trap. Before he even had time to reply, Lady Tsunade spoke up beside him.

"That's fine! The village would be happy to have two of its finest shinobi back. There will be no punishment for their short abandonment because the situation was obviously understandable. Is that your only request, Naruto?"

Naruto relaxed and smiled, nodding his head.

"Yeah. Thanks Granny Tsunade."

"Does that mean they aren't as pointlessly dedicated to Sasuke as you are?"

Naruto flinched at the sharp edge in Shikamaru's words. Sasuke had to stop himself from glaring by looking off to the side of the gate angrily. He knew being angry at Shikamaru wouldn't help Naruto's or his situation at all.

"I'm the only one you should blame for all the trouble Sasuke has caused the village," Naruto replied. "He's _my _responsibility."

Sasuke frowned and inclined his head slightly in complete agreement. On the other side of the Leaf gates, Shikamaru narrowed his eyes suspiciously. No one else in the rookie nine really liked Naruto's previous statement either, Neji and Kiba of all people even exchanged a frustrated glance. Ino bit her lip and tried to read Sakura's expression to try and decipher any more information Sakura might have on the current situation. Her best friend wasn't giving her any signs though, and was instead stuck staring at Naruto's firm stance like the worried older sister he'd never had.

"You don't have to take the fall for him, Naruto. Don't you know that?" Tsunade said softly. She could see Naruto for everything he was and everything he'd ever done and it pained her to see that familiar look of pure determination aimed at such a cause as Sasuke Uchiha. She wanted him to be Hokage! She was getting impatient and couldn't understand how he wasn't impatient too. After all, he'd been dreaming his whole life of being the Hokage, hadn't he?

He shook his head, blond hair ruffling around his ears.

"It's not like that, Granny. Sasuke's important to me! I don't have any choice but to defend him, it's part of the bond we have."

"What _bond_?" Shikamaru yelled mockingly. "No matter how important you think Sasuke is to you, Naruto, after everything he's done it's not only illogical to believe in him, it's just _stupid_. He's just _using_ you! Why can't you see it?"

"I see it as clear as day, Shikamaru," Naruto replied calmly. "You're the one who doesn't see. Sasuke will do anything for me… and I can prove it."

There was a rumbling of intrigue in the crowd of the rookie nine, as well as the four standing behind Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke himself made no surprised motion. It was as Naruto made him promise the night before. This was all part of his plan, all he had to do was do everything Naruto told him.

Shikamaru allowed himself to be cautiously curious towards this new development. It was hard not to believe in Naruto when he stood facing you with that strength of determination. Lesser men than Shikamaru would have already had their point of view altered by Naruto's confidence, but too many things were still unclear for someone as bright as Shikamaru to be convinced.

"Is that why you came back here?" he asked warily. "To prove Sasuke's innocence and goodness so we'd want him back in the village?

"No," Naruto said, lowering his gaze as a nervous expression flashed across his features then away again with the billowing of the wind around him. "I- I came to explain things."

"Explain what?"

"The reason I'm doing all this, like I just said before. Because you asked me why, Shika. Back in that clearing when I stopped you from killing Sasuke before. You asked me why I was doing this and I'm sorry, but I couldn't answer you then."

"And you plan on answering now? What do you think that's going to accomplish? I don't care _why_, Naruto," Shikamaru snapped, although what he said wasn't really true. He actually wanted to know more than anything why Naruto did what he did, but was worried he wouldn't like the reason. "The reason won't change anything. I'm going to disagree with you no matter your reason!"

Naruto dropped his head.

"I know, but…" he took a deep breath. "You still need to know. It's important. But I don't think you will understand it unless you see it with your own two eyes, so I want to- to try something. A test."

"A test?"

"Yeah, and I need your help with it, Shika."

Shikamaru exhaled sharply through his nose and stared at Naruto's firmly set eyebrows and persistent expression for a moment, silently deciding what to do. Everyone else was holding his or her breath until finally he nodded and asked,

"What do you want me to do?"

Naruto smiled slightly before becoming serious again and answering promptly, almost as though he'd planned this,

"I want you to test the strength of the bond between me and Sasuke. You're going to use your Shadow Possession Jutsu on Sasuke, Shika. And you have to make it the strongest you've ever done, so you won't have any doubts, and I want Sasuke to try and break free of it so he can come to me."

Shikamaru was surprised and, although he tried not to show it, so was Sasuke. This idea was strange, and Sasuke wasn't sure what exactly it would prove, but he could also see its merits, and he trusted Naruto and his plans. Shikamaru was mulling the test over in his head as the others talked it out behind him. They, too, saw how strange a test it was, and wondered what exactly Naruto was trying to convey from such a test. They were also very intrigued at the blasé way Sasuke was reacting to the entire situation. Even his body language was angled towards Naruto, as if he really would do anything for the blonde jinchuriki. No one could quite make heads or tails of what it meant, and hoped Naruto's test would help to clear some of their confusion. They, more than anything, wanted to know why Naruto was going to such extreme measures for Sasuke Uchiha. If nothing else was decided on this day, they at least wanted to know why and were glad Naruto seemed determined to explain it.

"Alright…" Shikamaru said finally, taking a step forward, just barely crossing through the gates of the Leaf to stand on the other side, showing that he would comply with Naruto's test.

Naruto's eyes lit up and he nodded as he turned to Sasuke and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Go over and stand just in front of Shika. His jutsu is stronger when you're closer to him. Then turn and face me."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He wasn't sure the jutsu being stronger was such a good thing. What if he _couldn't_ break free of it? Yet he resisted asking Naruto or voicing any kind of doubt. It filled him with a strange kind of strength to know that Naruto believe in him so adamantly.

When he stopped in front of Shikamaru and their eyes met, Sasuke could see a similar kind of determination in his eyes as in Naruto's. Shikamaru barely even looked like Shikamaru, who usually didn't bother trying very hard. Sasuke was sure this new, committed Shikamaru wasn't going to go easy on him in the slightest. It was almost thrilling. He hadn't been challenged this way for a long time. As he broke Shikamaru's gaze and turned around to lock eyes with Naruto standing firm at least 10 feet away, a long-forgotten feeling of pride and energy surged through him. This test reminded him of what his life used to be like when he still had things worth fighting for. As the sun caught the glint of blue in Naruto's eyes he realized that what he was fighting for this time was a million times more beautiful than anything he'd ever fought for in his entire life.

"Your Shadow Possession jutsu looses strength over time, but should still be pretty strong after five minutes, right Shikamaru? So how about five minutes for the time limit of the test. If Sasuke doesn't break free and make it this distance to reach me in five minutes then… Then our bond isn't as strong as I thought it was and I'll admit I was wrong and I- I'll forget about him and come back to the Leaf!"

Sasuke's eyes widened at this last remark and he gulped. Naruto was putting too much pressure on him. What if he didn't succeed? Would Naruto really abandon him like he just promised he would?

Naruto's declaration also came as a surprise to Shikamaru. If Naruto was telling the truth then it was completely up to him to get Naruto to give up on Sasuke for good, and he would try his hardest, harder than he'd ever tried in his entire life, to keep Sasuke from reaching Naruto. Blood pumped through his veins and his chakra buzzed beneath his skin.

"If you go back on your word, Naru-"

"I never go back on my word!" Naruto replied before Shikamaru even got a chance to finish. "It's my ninja way!"

With a confident scowl, Shikamaru put his hands together in the rat hand sign and as soon as his shadow began extending towards Sasuke, called back behind him,

"Start counting five minutes Choji!"

Sasuke felt instantly the strange sensation of having his entire body controlled by another person. He tried telling his hand to move upwards but it was to no avail, Shikamaru was in complete control of his actions and wasn't allowing any movement whatsoever. He started to struggle against the jutsu, his teeth clenched tightly together, but as much as he struggled, Shikamaru only struggled to keep him still even harder.

_Dammit! _He cursed silently to himself. _This is harder than I expected it to be. Naruto, what were you thinking with a test like this? _

The second he thought of Naruto though, he felt strength flow into his limbs. Naruto made this test because he believed in him. There was no way he could let his dobe down now!

The tension on both sides of the gates was palpable. No one said a word as both Shikamaru and Sasuke struggled silently, until Choji spoke up announcing,

"O- only four minutes left!"

"Shit!" Sasuke cursed, and then realized that he could speak, his mouth wasn't bound. Shikamaru's eyes widened and his hands clenched together tighter in an effort to secure Sasuke even more, but he was feeling confident. Already one minute had passed and Sasuke had yet to move an inch. He was winning this test.

Sweat began to drip from Sasuke's body as he struggled all the harder against the jutsu. His muscles were screaming for him to stop but he knew he couldn't. The minutes were ticking away and he'd yet to made any headway towards Naruto.

Naruto. He used all his strength to lift his head and look towards his goal in this test. Naruto stood nervously still, his eyes fixed on Sasuke. When he saw Sasuke lift his head to look at him, Naruto exhaled a deep breath.

Time seemed to freeze when the corners of Naruto's lips tilted up and his adorably whiskered cheeks rose as his bright blue eyes turned to twinkling slits as the widest, most perfect, true Naruto smile grew on his face. He extended his arms towards Sasuke and said in a voice just like the sun that blinded Sasuke and yet made him see clearly for the first time in his entire life,

"You can do it, Teme!"

And in that moment everything became so very real for Sasuke. That smile was the sign.

Naruto had given him the sign he'd spoken of the night before and Sasuke felt that if he didn't reach, touch, hold Naruto as soon as possible, something horrible would happen. It wasn't just a test anymore. He couldn't see Shikamaru or the others anymore. He didn't see anything but Naruto.

He experienced that feeling of rising again, but this time he didn't try to resist it. Naruto was only a few feet away, and he was waiting for him. With enormous effort, he pulled against the shadow that bound him, and just as Choji announced that only three minutes remained, Sasuke took a shaky step forward.

Shikamaru stumbled forward too, completely caught off-guard. The others behind them gasped as Shikamaru fought for control again, but he began to feel his strength slipping away. Sasuke was fighting harder than anyone had ever fought against his shadow possession jutsu.

Sasuke took another laborious step, willing his body to move towards the light that shined just a few more feet from him, waiting for him, smiling at him, believing in him. Shikamaru pulled harder, and when he tried to take another step it came harder. Choji announced that there were only two minutes left in the test. Sasuke took another step. Shikamaru pulled him back harder. Sasuke's muscles were screaming in protest but he didn't care, _he was only a few feet away! He had to get to Naruto! Screw the test, screw the time limit, nothing mattered but reaching Naruto!_

"One more minute Shikamaru!" Choji yelled in a nervous rush. "You can do it!"

The last of his reserved power and chakra surged through his veins in an attempt to keep Sasuke still. Shikamaru was giving everything he had. He would not let Sasuke break free!

He didn't know when they activated, but Sasuke's sharingan were spinning in his eyes as he pulled against Shikamaru's last bits of strength, his own chakra swirling wildly around him as he caught one last glimpse of Naruto's smiling face in front of him and pushed himself to the limit of his power. All of the sudden he felt something break, like an elastic band that had been stretched to its limits, and he was free, free from the binding jutsu. And just as he felt the break of one constricting energy, another wrapped securely around him. It squeezed his heart tightly, painfully so, and pulled him towards Naruto with a force he wouldn't have resisted if resisting had even been possible. This bond was much stronger than Shikamaru's jutsu. It wasn't something flimsy and physical, it was a bond between two people, the strongest bond on earth.

Wind whipped through his hair as he ran the last few steps between where he was and where he needed to be, but he was deaf to Shikamaru's frustrated curse and blind to anyone but Naruto who's outstretched arms welcomed him when he reached them and grabbed the front of that bright orange jacket, lifting Naruto into the air as he pressed their lips together in a breathtaking kiss.

It was the kind of kiss that seems to last forever.

Sasuke desperately wished it would.

But it didn't last forever. It lasted only a few short seconds and then Sasuke had to slowly pull back from the kiss, his eyes remaining tightly closed as he pressed his forehead against Naruto's. He was breathing hard, both from the energy it took to break free from Shikamaru's jutsu, and the way his blood simply pumps faster every time his lips touch Naruto's.

At first, he thought his pounding heartbeat was the reason he couldn't hear anything but blood rushing through his ears, but after a short minute he realized there was actually nothing to be heard. Everything was frozen silence all around him. Eventually he could hear only Naruto's breathing as those breaths mixed with his own, their mouths only parted a small distance. He felt Naruto press his forehead closer to his own, trying to get some sort of comfort, of confidence. That silence was getting to him. Naruto hated silence, and this was the worst kind of silence of them all; the kind of silence that could suddenly turn to noise at any moment. But would the noise that came after the silence be that of a positive or a negative nature?

Naruto's hand found Sasuke's and as he took a small step away, squeezed the hand he took gently as if to say in their strange, non-vocal language, _Thank you._

If the air between the two opposing groups had been tense before, it was nothing compared to how it was now. No one breathed. No one moved. When at first Sasuke's lips touched Naruto's, there had been reactions, however small. Iruka's hand had flown up to his mouth, his eyes shooting open wide, and this reaction was mimicked by more than a few people on the other side of the Leaf gates. Konohamaru didn't have the mind to cover his mouth; he just let it drop to the floor, similar to how Kiba responded. Kotetsu and Izuma just looked at one another in shock. Hinata, Ino and Shizune had both made small, girlish sounds of surprise. Shino made no visible reaction, but he was also surprised at this turn of events. Rock Lee blushed along with both of his teammates and Choji nearly fell over in shock.

But the only reactions that _really _mattered were the Hokage's and Shikamaru's. Lady Tsunade was, of course, shocked along with the others. Her eyes were fixed firmly on Naruto as though he wasn't really himself and it was all a trick. She continued this blank, not-understanding stare as long as the silence went on, making no move to break it due to the simple fact that she couldn't get over what she had just seen with her two eyes. Shikamaru's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but in a flash he vanished his shock and remained in careful silence, as everyone else, until Naruto turned around to face him, staring straight at him with those big blue eyes filled with defiant nervousness.

"I see the real reason behind that test now," Shikamaru said flatly. "It was to show the depth of the bond you have with Sasuke Uchiha. It was a clear, physical representation of the strength of your bond. Very clever, Naruto."

Naruto gulped and tried to smile but it just came out as a kind of uneasy grimace.

"I knew you would see it, Shikamaru. You're the smartest person I know. Does that mean y-"

"No," Shikamaru cut him off sharply. "It doesn't. All I see is a one-way bond from you to Sasuke. What does he think about all this? How can you be _positive_ he isn't deceiving you?"

Naruto took a step forward as if to answer Shikamaru's question, but Sasuke held tightly to Naruto's hand and stepped in front of him, firmly facing Shikamaru with a look of confidence arched in his brows.

"I've never cared much about this thing with 'bonds.' In fact, I've tried to sever those bonds all my life, and I almost managed it. Naruto was the only one to stop me whenever I tried to sever my bonds with him. The two of us have been through a lot together and from my point of view, had many different bonds that changed as time went on. First we were rivals, then friends, then enemies." Sasuke then raised Naruto's arm into the air and said with strong conviction, "But this moron never thought of us as _anything_ but friends! Best friends!"

He dropped Naruto's arm and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure if this would work, but he knew he needed to do something, and this was all he could think to do.

"Every bond we've ever had has just been leading up to this bond. Though it's different from the others, this bond is much stronger and more secure than any other bond that exists in this world.

"I don't know if any of you will accept this, or even understand it, but it's not-"

He struggled then to find the right words to convey what he meant. Finally he exhaled and growled in frustration,

"It's not like we have any choice! We're going to be together no matter what, because that's the power of this bond. We can't escape it or try and stop it or hide it, it just is. _We don't have any choice! _And the Leaf village needs to understand that if they want Naruto, I have to come too. There are no other options. You can either take Naruto back or you can turn us away. Make your choice, Shikamaru."

It was quiet again, and then Shikamaru replied softly,

"And what exactly would you _call _the bond you and Naruto have now?"

Without a moment of hesitation,

"Love."

A few others were taken aback by the brashness of this answer. Naruto couldn't help but blush, as much as he tried to resist. Kakashi's low chuckle could be heard behind them and even Sakura had to smile and admire Sasuke's manly confidence. _Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all…_ She thought.

All of the sudden, the sound of quiet laughter could be heard from the other side of the Leaf gates. At first it was hard to tell where it was coming from, but then it slowly became clear that Tsunade was laughing, really laughing. And as more people stared at her in confused bemusement, the louder her laughter got. Shikamaru turned around to give her a worried look, as if maybe she'd finally gotten so old she cracked, but she didn't stop laughing.

"G-Granny Tsunade?" Naruto asked loudly. She seemed not to hear him and just kept on laughing. Though it was certainly strange, it did serve as a helpful mood lifter. The mood with Shikamaru in charge always seemed to be tense, but as Tsunade continued on her laughing rant, nearly doubling over at this point, the other shinobi felt themselves almost going along with her.

Finally her howling laugh died down to slow chuckles and she started wiping away the tears from her eyes, holding onto her stomach like she was in pain. She looked over at Naruto and Sasuke and, through the few chuckles still bubbling up inside her, said brightly,

"Never in all my life did I think I would hear an _Uchiha_ say 'love' with such a straight face. Naruto, I'm not sure what you've done to that boy, but it must have been something wonderful. How could I ever have doubted you, Naruto Uzumaki?" She said with a twinkle in her eye, "You have that special something, don't you? You can get anyone in the world to fall in love with you. Figures the one person you'd fall in love with would be the one person who causes you the most trouble. Oh my! I haven't laughed like that in years!"

"Lady Tsunade!" Shikamaru said with a thoroughly confused expression plastered onto his face. "Are you saying you _approve_ of this?"

"Shikamaru, I know you mean well, but I think this battle your trying to fight was lost the moment you started planning to kill Sasuke. You're the one that set all of this in motion, now you've got to learn to live with the way it's worked out."

"You can't mean you're just going to let that traitor back into the village after everything he's-"

"Didn't you hear him, Shikamaru? We don't have much of a choice, now do we?"

"Of course we do! Lady Tsunade, you don't find this even a little bit suspicious? How could anyone fall in love in just a few short weeks together?"

Sakura took a step towards the Leaf gate and Tsuande turned to her as she spoke.

"I don't think Naruto and Sasuke fell in love just now," she said. "Think about it Shikamaru, why would Naruto risk his life and his dream to save Sasuke when you went after him if he didn't already love him then?"

Shikamaru had no answer to this, but he was clearly not finished fighting. All of the sudden he seemed to have an idea.

"Naruto got to have a test, now I want a test. At least let me have that, and if both Sasuke and Naruto pass, I swear I won't fight this anymore."

Tsuande seemed thoughtful for a moment, then glanced at Naruto and called to him,

"Is that alright with you, Naruto?"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke then shrugged his shoulders nervously.

"Er… Sure. What's the test gonna be?"

Shikamaru looked back at the other shinobi behind him and frowned as he conjured up an idea.

"Each person here will be able to ask either you or Sasuke one question. You have to answer truthfully. Neji and Hinata will be watching you carefully with their byakugan. If your chakra flickers, then you've lied, and you loose." He then turned back to the others and a few of them nodded. "You guys better think of good questions, because this is the only chance we've got."

He then pointed to Konohamaru who had raised his hand and was jumping up and down energetically to make sure he got to ask his question first. He approached the boundary of the gate, looked straight into Naruto's eyes, and asked loudly,

"Boss… HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN GAY?"

Shikamaru put his head in his hand as though already defeated as Naruto blushed and shifted awkwardly on the balls of his feet before answering.

"Uhhh…" he bit his lip and pulled on the sleeve of his shirt. "I'm not gay, Konohamaru. I just like Sasuke, is all…"

Konohamaru didn't seem to really appreciate this answer so when Moegi got to ask a question next, he whispered something in her ear and she sighed as she asked unhappily,

"Have you been deceiving Konohamaru this whole time by pretending to like the sexy jutsu?"

Naruto rolled his eyes in Konohamaru's direction.

"No. I still like girls. I just love Sasuke, get it now?"

Konohamaru pouted, and when his last teammate got to ask a question, the question was,

"Who's on top?"

To Naruto's _great_ relief, Shikamaru stopped it right there, seeing that this test was not getting anyone anywhere.

"Stop, stop, stop. Dammit! I give up," he shouted, turning back and stomping through the rest of the shinobi angrily. "Lady Tsunade, you're Hokage, so you do whatever you like, I just have one more thing to say to Naruto."

He turned once more to face Naruto and said with a voice full of unwarranted venom, "If Sasuke ever, _ever_ hurts Naruto or anyone in the village, or leaves again, causing Naruto strife, I will make you admit that I was right after all, and his immediate disposal will be ordered."

Naruto swallowed thickly and nodded.

"That's all?"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.

"No." He frowned angrily and glanced between Naruto and Sasuke one more time before locking eyes with Naruto so firmly the very air that surrounded them seemed to vanish momentarily. "If it comes to the point that Sasuke's disposal is ordered, Naruto must do it himself. That is the only way he will ever understand the detrimental effect Sasuke has on him. Do you agree to this, Lady Hokage?"

"Yes, fine," Tsunade replied, a bit amused at Shikamaru's seriousness, but at the same time, nervous about the conditions he had set. She would just have to rely on Naruto to keep Sasuke in check.

"Don't worry, Shikamaru, Sasuke doesn't have a 'detrimental effect' on me. I think the effect he has is posi-"

"Are you Hokage yet?" Shikamaru cut him off angrily.

Naruto faltered and stared at Shikamaru with curious unease. Without waiting for Naruto to reply, Shikamaru went on.

"Naruto, you are the strongest and most amazing of all of us, but you are also the only one of us who hasn't achieved his dream. Who's fault do you think that is? Who have you been so focused on for so many years that every time I mentioned becoming Hokage to you, you automatically changed the subject?"

Sasuke's hand tightened around Naruto's as the blond sighed unhappily.

"I was just being cautious, Shikamaru. Being Hokage was too much responsibility for me because I knew that at any moment, if Sasuke came into the picture I would have to make a choice between the Leaf and him, and I wouldn't have the freedom to choose him no matter how much I wanted to, because I would be tied to the village. But it doesn't have to be that way now, you know? Sasuke and the Leaf village are the two most important things to me, and if they are together I wouldn't have to make any tough choices between the two of them."

He stopped and looked questioningly at Shikamaru, then said almost faintly,

"I want to be Hokage, it's what I've always wanted, everybody knows that. I think I can be Hokage now, Shikamaru… If you think I have what it takes?"

Flinching as he recognized the same words he'd said after Sasuke's failed assassination attempt, Shikamaru glanced away. He felt stuck between a rock and a hard place in this situation. On the one hand there was Naruto, whom he trusted, and on the other hand was the facts; Sasuke had betrayed the village before, he might do it again, and how would Naruto react if that happened?

But his doubts were starting to melt away. How could he doubt when Naruto stood facing him with such conviction, and with a rather logical reasoning behind it? He couldn't, it was part of Naruto's magical powers, after all. He made anyone believe in him. Shikamaru bet that part of Naruto was one of the reasons Sasuke fell for him. Slowly, he began to nod his head.

He looked up at Naruto and smiled. Naruto smiled back.

"You've got what it takes," he muttered, and then added loudly, "I rescind the banishment of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno… and Sasuke Uchiha can become a part of the Leaf village once again."

* * *

**Bleeeegh. I didn't like the way this came out, but whatever. Please review. I think at least the first half was decent. XD**

**KeikoPanda102**


	15. Part 14

Part 14:

Sasuke had not accounted for this.

He'd been so busy trying not to think about what was going to happen that the idea of actually going back into the village really hadn't occurred to him.

Until now.

Sakura ran ahead of him and Naruto as soon as Shikamaru announced they were allowed to return to the village. She hugged Ino then they promptly started a hushed discussion that involved glancing conspicuously in his direction every few minutes. Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder as he started to walk towards the open gates of the Leaf, Iruka already laying into Naruto about one thing or another. From the corner of his eye Sasuke saw that Sai seemed a little bit unhappy about the way the confrontation with Shikamaru had gone.

Everyone in their group began to walk towards the village but Sasuke felt as though his feet were glued to the dirt road in front of it. He stood there staring up at the gates blankly, wondering how he could have such strong feelings about returning.

He had wanted to come back, hadn't he?

No, not really. He'd wanted to go anywhere Naruto went and unfortunately, where Naruto wanted to go was here. He hadn't actually pictured himself going back into the Leaf, much less ever becoming a part of the Leaf again.

When he had left through these gates all those years ago he had always thought that he would never be returning. That was part of the decision he had made when he left. And yes, much had changed since then, but that feeling still remained embedded inside him. He didn't think of himself as a member of the Leaf village. He hadn't thought of himself that way for years.

Naruto finally noticed his strange standstill behavior and stopped in his tracks, looking back as Iruka yelled something in his ear. Kakashi noticed as well and carefully pulled Iruka away so Naruto could return to Sasuke and ask in a curiously worried voice,

"What's wrong?"

Sasuke pursed his lips and sealed them shut, shaking his head silently and taking a step towards Naruto. The blond replied with a quizzical glance and a tilt of his head.

Sasuke would not need to inform Naruto of his reservations in returning to the Leaf. He barely understood why he had them in the first place and there was no need to burden Naruto any further.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Naruto asked as Sasuke stopped before him and caught his eye momentarily before shifting his gaze to the very top of the gates of the Leaf.

Before he had a chance to reply and dodge the question Kakashi decided to answer for him. His old teacher had always been observant to the point of annoyance though he may not seem the type.

"I wonder if maybe Sasuke is a bit nervous about coming back to the village he abandoned so many years ago?"

Sasuke shot him a worthy Uchiha glare and loathed that the masked man didn't cower like he should have. Naruto seemed surprised and turned upon Sasuke with wide eyes that held a dangerously playful hint. He was clearly in a good mood since "winning" whatever battle he'd had with Shikamaru.

"Is that true, Teme?"

"Dobe," Sasuke sneered in reply. That look in Naruto's eyes, combined with so many stimuli from his past, was making Sasuke rather nostalgic. He wasn't sure he liked that.

All of the sudden, Naruto's gaze seemed to soften. He reached out and took Sasuke's hand in his, pulling him towards the wide-open and welcoming gates.

Sasuke hadn't expected this. It seemed that whenever he began to think Naruto was the same annoying little kid he'd had a childhood rivalry with, Naruto acted altogether different and he came to realize just how much Naruto had changed.

Naruto didn't want to argue with him. The heat that Sasuke felt coming from Naruto's hand and into his told him that.

They passed through the gates just like that and soon the entirety of the rookie nine (plus Kotetsu and Izumo) swarmed the both of them, practically screaming their questions. Kiba was the loudest, especially if you added in that every time he tried to speak, Akamaru would bark a loud, booming bark that went over everyone else's voices by decibels.

Sasuke leaned in to whisper huskily into Naruto's ear,

"You're like a celebrity. I get that they missed you but do they have to be so loud? "

Naruto smiled slyly at him and from the corner of his eye Sasuke saw Hinata begin to blush rather intensely.

"Guys! Guys!" Naruto said loudly, then laughed as no one quieted down until Sakura told them all to hush. "Guys, I know you want to ask me stuff and everything, but I just got back and there's still a lot I need to figure out, alright? I promise we'll all get together for dinner soon, sound good? Sasuke's buying!"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted unhappily as the other's cheered or, at least, agreed halfheartedly. Naruto smiled widely as he and Sasuke pushed through and past them and began to walk hand in hand down the road that led into the heart of the village. Sasuke still remembered it clearly though some things looked different. It was then he remembered that the Leaf had been completely destroyed a few years back in Pain's attack. Naruto had been the one to defeat him. He remembered that as well. He might ask Naruto how he managed that sometime… But that wasn't at all what he was thinking about as they walked, finally alone, towards the village.

His mind was filled with little worries like; what the Uchiha district might look like (he was sure it wouldn't have been rebuilt like the rest of the village), or what he was going to do now that he was a Leaf village shinobi once again (or where he would live, but he was sure that could be easily resolved), but none of those things seemed anywhere near as important as where he and Naruto were going now and what they would do when they got there.

"I feel…" Naruto began slowly, "like I wanna go in 8 different directions! I want to go to Ichiraku, and to talk to Shikamaru and everyone else, and I want to go and see how my little plant is doing that was on the windowsill in my bedroom, and I want to show you everything that's changed, and I can't stand still!"

Sasuke looked lovingly upon the wide smile that was appearing rapidly across Naruto's face.

"I guess that's why you love clones so much, because just one of you isn't enough."

Naruto found that funny and laughed awkwardly before turning back to Sasuke with a lighthearted grin and said,

"I just have a lot of energy right now, I guess."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously as he replied flatly, as if what he said held no importance to him whatsoever,

"We had better find something to help use up that energy, then."

Naruto turned and looked at him with expectant, wide eyes. Sasuke smirked and added casually,

"Why don't we go… check on that plant in your bedroom?"

Naruto reacted in one of those ways that made him absolutely irresistible to Sasuke. He froze up for a moment and stopped in his tracks, blushing furiously, then growled lowly, staring determinedly in the other direction,

"Shit, Sasuke! How can you just _say_ something like that? It's freakin' embarrassing!"

"I don't know what you're going on about. All I said was-"

"Alright, let's go!"

Before Sasuke had time to react Naruto was running full force and pulling Sasuke along with him. Soon they could see the buildings of the Leaf before them but Naruto didn't slow down. Sasuke was sure to the people they passed it probably looked like a ball of orange sprinting through the streets was pulling him along. Finally they started to slow and then stop in front of an apartment that Sasuke assumed was Naruto's.

Without looking at him or dropping his hand, Naruto led Sasuke up the stairs to the second floor and stopped once again, this time in front of a door. Naruto finally turned around and gave Sasuke a nervous smile. The way the setting sun hit his face made Sasuke's heart leap.

"You've never been to my apartment, have you?"

"Of course not, Dobe. But I can picture what it looks like. Messy and cramped and filled with empty ramen packets, am I right?"

"Teme!" Naruto replied, shoving Sasuke lightly as he blushed. "It should be _kinda _clean… but I hope you'll like it. I was thinking, um, I was thinking maybe…"

"Spit it out, Naruto."

The blond mumbled something so softly Sasuke couldn't make out what he'd said. He rolled his eyes and Naruto bit his lip before repeating louder,

"I was thinking we could live together, there, I said it!"

A warm feeling began to spread from somewhere around Sasuke's stomach. He didn't quite know what to make of it, but he knew it felt good. The idea of living together with Naruto, like Naruto trusted him and wanted him that much, it felt good. Sasuke covered his mouth with his hand and closed his eyes as he shook his head and mimicked the words Naruto had said earlier.

"Shit, Naruto… How can you say something like that? It makes me…"

He opened his eyes to see Naruto's bright blue eyes staring back at him wide and joyful and clear and expectant.

"Makes you what?" He asked in a hush.

"Makes me want you so badly," Sasuke replied lowly, pinning Naruto with his back against the door of his apartment. Before Sasuke even had the chance to kiss him Naruto lips were pursed and expectant, his eyes glazed over warmly as he stared into Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke swallowed and pulled away, flicking a bit of his hair out of his face as he said monotonously,

"So… That plant on your bedroom windowsill?"

Naruto exhaled unhappily, leaving Sasuke to smirk as he opened the door to the apartment and they went inside. It was dark and quiet. Sasuke followed Naruto into the living room and waited for the blond to turn on the light.

But the light never came on. Sasuke could clearly see Naruto's outline, and even most of his features because of the light from the setting sun outside but he found it curious that Naruto wouldn't turn the lights on.

"No lights?" he inquired in a vague tone of voice.

There was an awkwardly long silence before Naruto finally replied,

"If I turn the lights on it'll be too real."

Sasuke took a step towards Naruto. He could hear every breath coming from Naruto's mouth. He rather liked the smell inside the apartment. It smelled like Naruto.

"What'll be real?"

The pause wasn't as long this time, but there was a pause as Naruto apparently thought out the answer to the question asked of him.

"You being here. In the village. In my house. Us."

"You don't want it to be real?" Sasuke asked, though he pretty much knew what Naruto was getting at. He let him answer anyway.

"I'm scared that it isn't."

Sasuke nodded in the dim light and took another step towards Naruto, reaching out a hand as Naruto sucked in and held his breath, closing his eyes like a child does when they're scared. He kept his breath held until he felt Sasuke's fingers clasp his tightly, then lift them up and kiss the back of his hand gently and lovingly. His eyes fluttered open just as Sasuke's lips collided with his in an embrace that was just as gentle and loving as the kiss on his hand had been, but so much more needy. Sasuke kissed him ardently, passionately. He kissed him not just once, but many times. Not restraining himself to kissing just Naruto's lips, he kissed all the skin around his lips, and then kissed the beautiful whiskered cheeks he was so in love with, murmuring lowly as he started to kiss Naruto's ears,

"Every time I feel your whiskers against my skin I start to think I'm dreaming…"

"Sasuke," Naruto muttered back tenderly, holding on tightly to the back of Sasuke's neck and the fabric of his shirt as if they were lifelines.

Sasuke began to slowly pull down the zipper on Naruto's jacket, slipping it off and tossing it to the floor a moment later. His lips had reached Naruto's neck and he was marveling at the smoothness of the skin he found there. He bit the skin gently and Naruto mewled helplessly, like he was trapped in Sasuke's deadly grip succumbing to the pleasurable sensations that trickled all through his skin.

Sasuke felt like there was lightning running through his veins. He made a mark on Naruto's neck as gently as he could, his shaking hands slipping beneath Naruto's shirt. His fingers traced over Naruto's belly button and he tore his lips away from the skin at Naruto's neck. The way Naruto's fingers pulled possessively on his hair made his skin tingle and his breathing falter. He wanted, he wanted-

Another kiss perfectly on Naruto's lips conveyed to the blond exactly what Sasuke wanted.

_I want you._

When he pulled away from the kiss Naruto nodded his head up and down frantically, pressing his lips forward, searching for another kiss as he mumbled, nearly out of his head with desire,

"M- me too, yeah, Sasu-"

"Take me to the bed so that I can have you."

Naruto, though his hands were shaking, led Sasuke into his bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Sasuke into another kiss, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's shoulders. It was barely dusk outside but clouds blocked out the sun. Neither cared about what time it was anyway.

Their clothes vanished as though by magic. They, at least, didn't remember taking them off. Time compressed and seemed to pass achingly slowly all at once. Both boys felt blind and deaf and dumb to everything but each other and the exploration of each other's skin and breath and racing heartbeats.

Sasuke lowered his body over Naruto's, holding his breath as their mouths connected for a lightning-like second. Underneath him, Naruto rolled his hips and clawed at his arms.

The thoughts they had shared when their bodies connected before were nothing; whispers, shallow waves, a light breeze, compared to what they felt now. All through their very souls were screams, passionate hurricanes of power with winds and waves that could conquer absolutely anything. Their skin burned when they touched each other. Neither could stop the chakra that flowed forth, completely uncontrolled. Sasuke could hardly keep himself breathing correctly; there was no way he was able to keep any control on his power.

Naruto gasped beneath him when he broke apart from a kiss that had nearly drowned them both. Sasuke's eyes fluttered open at the sound of that gasp and he tried to steady himself on two shaking hands placed on either side of Naruto's heaving chest. The lower half of his body was on fire, so much that it hurt. A piercing pain that he positively _reveled_ in as Naruto rolled his hips upwards again, reaching for some sort of contact because he felt the exact same way.

"Sasuke!" he cried out. Sasuke groaned, adoring the way his name sounded coming from that devilishly soft mouth, in that angelically perfect voice.

Sasuke was losing it. He was going insane with every breath he took. He couldn't control his lungs, he couldn't control his hands, his mind was blank as he sunk deeper into the passion that Naruto kept sending at him over and over and over again, ravaging him raw.

"Sasuke, oh no, Sasuke," Naruto threw his head back, his hands clinging desperately to the bed sheets as Sasuke trailed a shaking hand between the blond's thighs. "Now! Ahh, no! Shit! _Now_, Sasuke!"

Sasuke dug his hips onto Naruto's, feeling like the bed was on fire, surprised the sheets weren't burning as they fell over the side of the bed, pushed by Naruto's foot as his toes curled and his fingers gripped Sasuke as if he could rip the very soul from inside of him. Naruto had his head rolled back while Sasuke was face-first in the pillow, his hand hot and suddenly sticky when it dropped from Naruto's waist.

Sasuke wasted no time once he caught his breath and Naruto seemed of the same mind. When Sasuke's hand ventured lower, Naruto sat up and bravely opened his legs. Sasuke didn't actually care too much about having sex, he didn't really know what to expect, but he knew that neither of them would be able to sleep until they went all the way. He leaned in for a kiss and had to coax Naruto's head up. When their lips met, the fiery sensation was there too.

Every time he kissed Naruto, Sasuke felt the same kind of vague astonishment at the simple fact that he had let someone in enough to allow that kind of physical connection. It reminded him just how much he trusted Naruto, and with what he was doing to Naruto now, how much Naruto trusted him.

"Feels'weird…" Naruto mumbled, facing the direction of the open window but not really seeing outside. Sasuke smirked and kissed those lips again, hot like cinnamon.

"You do it then, Dobe," he replied, feeling already as if he were on cloud nine. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like when he was…

"You aren't any better than I'd be, Teme!" Naruto quipped, then shuddered as a flooding pleasure surged through his body. "W- woah! Sasuke, there again, _do that again!_"

When Sasuke quickly obliged to his request, Naruto made awful little sounds of pleasure as he writhed his body against Sasuke's. Naruto wasn't the type of person to just lie back and let Sasuke take advantage of him, he was actively involved in Sasuke's preparation. After a few more minutes of his panting, grueling moans, his hands gripped Sasuke's shoulder's like a vice and he made sure they locked eyes as he said breathlessly,

"I- if we do this… there's no going back, Teme."

Sasuke kissed him, nibbling at the corners of his lips lovingly.

_Yeah?_

The blond smiled a quirky, half-smile then sighed deeply. He closed his eyes, gripped Sasuke's shoulder tightly and made a quiet humming noise that Sasuke somehow, miraculously understood. He tenderly held Naruto's thighs; his own breath caught in his throat as he slowly pushed his hips forward. Naruto hissed,

"Not slow, Teme. I- I can't do it if it's slow like that."

Of course. Sasuke should have thought of that himself. He'd wondered why something had seemed off. It was Naruto, of course they would need to do it fast. If not, how would he be able to match the racing beat pounding inside his chest, how would he be able to capture the sensation of _Naruto_ as he moved inside the other's body?

They nodded together and Naruto began to squirm on the bed, his breathing strained and impatient. Sasuke could tell from the movements of his body what Naruto wanted and not a word was spoken as their positions were almost switched entirely. Naruto's legs were bent back behind him, his arms wrapped possessively around Sasuke's shoulders. Sasuke had one hand along Naruto's spine and the other on the blonde's waist, gripping it tight enough to leave a bruise, though to either of them the touch felt as light as a feather.

It happened suddenly, like lightning. If Sasuke's eyes had been open he would have bet lightning flashed inside the room as soon as it happened. It was loud, but silent. They both groaned lowly, but movement was so quick after the initial action that the groans turned into sounds of ecstasy and passion, their voices flying all around the room as each pressed his body as hard towards the other as he could.

"Harder!" Naruto cried, but as soon as he said it he found that it was done because Sasuke had been wanting the same thing. Their bodies fit together more than they had imagined. How could they imagine something like this?

When Sasuke sped up, Naruto threw his head back and screamed like an animal, like the monster he was, "_YES! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Fuck, yes! Saskteme- Temesuke- Yes!"_

Sasuke continually let out a hushed whisper into Naruto's ear of just his name, just "Naruto," over and over again like a wind that blew only for him and made a breeze of such terrible lust that it sent shivers down his spine every time he heard it. Each "Naruto" was different, just a tiny bit, but importantly so. The differences reflected Sasuke's changing and growing emotions as they went on, connecting their bodies with as much passion and fervor as they could without running the risk of killing themselves from their free-changing and dangerous chakra swirling around them, reflecting the emotional and physical labor between them. Each "Naruto" meant something else. One was an apology, another a love-song, and yet another was just a primal need to express _need_ and _want_ through vocalization.

"Hnnn_Naruto_," came another growl from between Sasuke's lips that travelled up Naruto's spine and gave him a fleeting and almost euphoric feeling of death. He realized he had felt this feeling once before, this lightning surging through him, killing him and breaking him apart.

Sasuke felt Naruto's scourging breath against his ear, squeezed the other boy's body closer to him as a hurricane swept away his heart and body; Hurricane Naruto. As the churning winds scraped and pulled his skin, Sasuke realized that he had felt this only once before, this wind pressing all around him, choking him, killing him and tearing him to pieces.

And those feelings inside them collided in a silent and hallowed moment of utter unification. Fire burned. Lightning struck. Wind howled. But all was quiet.

Everything was perfect.

The next thing Sasuke felt was a warm drop fall onto his lips. Without thinking, his tongue licked at the salty liquid. Without breathing, he opened his eyes narrowly, slanting as black found blue, blue that shimmered with wetness in the faint light of the crescent moon, shining in through the window.

Naruto couldn't help but cry. He'd doubted (doubts that were never voiced aloud, the kind that fester in the bubbling subconscious) as to whether, after everything he'd been through to prove himself he would ever find someone who was _enough_ for him, who would understand him and be able to _be _with him the way he so desperately wanted someone to be with him.

What he and Sasuke had just done confirmed that he _had_ found someone to be with him, someone who was just as doubtful and pained as he was. _How could people just have sex?_ He wondered. What he had just experienced was so much more than _just sex. _He laughed, more tears spilling out as he clung tighter to the source of his sudden and unexpected joy.

Sasuke smiled, a strange feeling forming inside his chest. He felt more warm tears grace his skin and suddenly _that smile_ was there right before his eyes and- for the first time- he wasn't blinded by it.

He saw clearly; everything was the way it was meant to be; everything was perfect. All of his anger and fear was gone and without it- _Oh! How bright the world was!_

But none more bright than the figure before him, and he didn't want to blink. What? Blink, and miss all the details of Naruto's face, his hair, his smile? All the things he never saw before?

His eyes began to water and before he knew it he was crying too. With a choked laugh, Naruto clumsily wiped the water that was sliding down his cheek. From the corner of his eyes Sasuke looked at Naruto's thumb, moist with the tears- but clean. No hint of red, no more blood pouring from his eyes, blinding him. Naruto was here and that was all. That was all he needed.

It was all either of them needed.

And Sasuke breathed. He breathed for what felt like the very first time, filling his lungs with Naruto.

And they kissed.

And their silent, primal communication couldn't be translated to something as trivial and common and vague as _I love you_. It really couldn't be translated correctly at all.

But, if forced to translate it, it might have come out sounding a little bit like this:

_Why does the wind blow? Because it has no choice. _

_Why does lightning strike? Because it has no choice. _

_Why do I love you?_

_Because __I have no choice. _

* * *

**Soooo, this is the shortest chapter I'm gonna post. Also, this is unedited as of right now, posting time. **

**Hopefully I can make the next and FINAL chapter long enough so it fits in more with my other chapters than this one does. Hope you've liked this story and sorry for making you wait so long! **

**Please bear with me for ONE MORE CHAPTER, the CONCLUSION of the story. I promise it'll be good. XD**

**KeikoPanda102**


	16. Part 15

Part 15:

"Everyone knows why we are here, correct?"

Shikamaru nodded his head although he was the one who had asked the question, looking out at the faces of his friends and comrades- minus one very important member.

Sakura was at his side, her smile lighthearted. Shikamaru was too anxious about the coming event to straighten out the crease between his eyebrows and relax.

"Come on, Shika," Kiba said, stretching his hands behind his head and yawning. "It's not like anything's gonna go wrong. What're you actin' so serious about?"

"Yeah Shikamaru," Ino added, her hands on her hips as she stared up at her teammate, amused. "Of course we all know why we're here. There's not a person in the village who doesn't know what today is."

A few of the other's nodded, Lee and Tenten shared a smile. Even Neji was relaxed for once, leaning against a wall.

"Naruto better not be late," Shikamaru growled, checking his watch.

"Sasuke'll make sure he gets here on time, won't he?" Choji asked, reaching his hand into his bag of chips and tossing a few into his mouth.

"Sasuke can only do so much. Naruto seems to have inherited Kakashi's bad habit."

"I resent that," the one-eyed copy-ninja said lightly as he landed beside Sakura on the rooftop of the Hokage tower. He stood up straight and stared into the bright sky, lifting one hand to shade his eye. "I'm on time today, aren't I?"

"Because you know how important this is," Shikamaru said seriously. He looked at his watch again.

"And Naruto does as well," Kakashi said pacifyingly. "He won't be late on a day as important as this one."

It was almost ten o'clock and a beautiful day outside, the sun already hot as it reflected off the roof of the Hokage tower where all of the important Leaf shinobi were gathered, waiting for the day's great event to begin. Anbu were stationed randomly around the edge of the roof, just in case, though no one suspected anything to happen that would ruin or interrupt this day.

They waited another few minutes, Guy challenging Kakashi to another "battle" and loosing, once again, at rock, paper, scissors. Sai was having a deep conversation with Izumo and Kotetsu off to the side that no one really paid any attention to. Shino and Neji listened as Hinata nervously explained to them an idea she had for a new jutsu as Kiba tried to take a quick nap atop Akamaru before Ino woke him up with a sharp pinch, laughing as he scrambled about sleepily. Only Shikamaru seemed in a bad mood, everyone else felt happier then they had in a long time.

Finally, a hushed whisper flew through the rest of the shinobi sitting and standing near the covered entrance to the rooftop. The white curtains were pulled aside and Tsunade came marching out with Iruka and Shizune behind her. Everyone let out his or her held breath as she smiled and walked directly over to Shikamaru.

"We've just seen him," she said, pride shining through her voice as she spoke. "He's trying to pretend he isn't nervous. Uchiha's with him."

"When should we start?" Sakura asked with an excited smile.

"Give him another few minutes."

Sakura nodded but Shikamaru didn't seem to be as patient. Iruka was nervous as well. He kept pacing between Kakashi and Tsunade and glancing back towards the entrance where the most important person of the day was waiting.

"Are we sure he's ready?" He asked for the twelfth time.

At least ten pairs of eyes were rolled at him in reply.

"He's been ready for years, Iruka," Kakashi replied gently. "We all know there was only one thing holding him back."

Shikamaru made a "harrumph" noise and turned to stare off at the Hokage monument. A few people laughed quietly and Iruka blushed.

"Can we start already?" Shikamaru asked, walking to the front of the seats that were crowding the roof. He might have gone on walking inside if Saru, Kurenai's young son hadn't stopped him by asking loudly,

"Why grumpy, Shika?"

Kurenai smiled at him as Shikamaru stopped and looked down fondly at his past teacher's child. He sighed, feeling stupid for being so worried about todays' big event. It wasn't his style to get so worked up, but he wanted everything to be perfect. No more mistakes.

He looked up into the sky and Saru mimicked him.

"No clouds," the young boy remarked smartly. He had gone cloud-watching many times with Shikamaru and when he saw the lack of clouds he rightly assumed that that was why the usually laidback man was in a bad mood.

Shikamaru smiled, astounded once again at the astuteness of the child. He hadn't noticed that there weren't any clouds but as soon as he realized it his bad mood made a lot more sense.

"No clouds," he said, kneeling down to the boys level and giving him a what-can-you-do shrug. He then smiled and Saru smiled back. "If there are clouds tomorrow would you like to come cloud-watching with me?"

The boy's eyes lit up and he nodded. Kurenai smiled wider. She enjoyed seeing people interact with her son- especially Shikamaru. Everyone loved Saru, but no one loved Saru like Shikamaru did. They just fit together, two peas in a pod. She secretly hoped Temari would get pregnant soon so that Saru would have a friend and Shikamaru would be able to be a father to his own child. She imagined that he would be very good at it.

"Saru was just wondering why everyone was gathered up here, weren't you Saru?"

The boy nodded rapidly as though he just remembered and turned back to Shikamaru.

"What going on?"

"Today is a very special day," Shikamaru began cheerfully. Talking to Saru always improved his mood. "A lot of people have been waiting for this day for a long time, so we're all gathered up here and waiting a bit longer for this special something to happen."

"What is it?" Saru's eyes were wide in wonder at what could possibly be this special something that everyone was gathered and waiting for.

Shikamaru smiled, and just as he did, the crowds began to hum with chatter and everyone turned to look excitedly towards the covered entrance to the rooftop. A figure appeared, pushing the curtains aside and walking out into the bright sunlight.

Sasuke stepped to the side, smiling very faintly. Everyone on the roof was now silent.

It was finally time.

The white curtains ruffled again as another figure began to emerge through them. A shock of blond hair came first, followed by a body wearing a signature orange jacket that was mostly covered by a long, billowing, white and red cloak.

Naruto stepped into the sunlight and lifted his tan hand up to cover his eyes. He looked out into the crowd of all of his friends- friends who had supported him for years, all hoping they could witness this wonderful day- and he smiled.

The rooftop exploded into cheers, even Shikamaru stood and clapped as Naruto, red with embarrassment, walked to the front of the crowd where Tsunade, Kakashi, and a few elders were waiting for him. Tsunade held tightly to her Hokage hat as the wind tried to blow it away. She smiled at Naruto when he stopped just beside her, like a mother looking proudly at her son. She could feel herself getting emotional as the cheers continued and told herself it was just because she was getting old. She leaned towards Naruto and he leaned back so that she could whisper just loud enough for him to hear over the cheering,

"They would _all_ be proud of you."

His bright blue eyes grew wide as she leaned away from him and stared out to the Hokage monument that loomed at them from its mountainous home on the edge of the village. Naruto sniffed but made himself stay strong as one of the village elders quieted the still cheering crowd and then began reading some long, pointless speech about the importance of leadership in the ever-changing ninja world. He then continued into a speech about the formation of the Leaf village and the many trials the village had gone through. Naruto stood up straight and smiled the entire time.

About halfway through, Shikamaru noticed Naruto's eyes flicker over towards the entrance. He followed the gaze and saw Sasuke still standing in the slight shade against the wall. When he caught Naruto's eye he smirked and Shikamaru saw Naruto smile a little bit wider when he turned back and pretended to pay attention to what the elder was saying. Shikamaru had to chuckle softly to himself.

The only thing he could think of when he witnessed that was: _everything happens for a reason._

He looked up towards the sky and smiled. _If I hadn't decided to attack Sasuke, things might have turned out a whole lot differently. _

He was glad Temari was supposed to be accompanying Gaara when he visited the Leaf in a few days to formally meet the new Hokage. He missed her and he hadn't seen her in a few weeks. Maybe it was time for him to take their relationship to the next level…

The speeches went on for a bit longer, Kiba finally got to take his nap, Saru dozed off a bit as well, and then everyone in the audience perked up when it was finally time for Naruto to make the pledge, to pledge his life to protecting the Leaf village.

He took a deep breath and with one last glance towards the Hokage monument, began repeating his oath loudly and proudly as his friends watched in awe. Everyone in the audience knew how much this meant to Naruto. No one felt like they weren't witnessing something great. Iruka's eyes began to glisten about halfway through Naruto's pledge. Konohamaru was emotional through the entire ceremony but only openly bawled when Tsunade carefully took off the Hokage hat and gave it to Naruto. In what felt like slow motion, Naruto took the hat from her and placed it o his own head. As soon as he did, the audience all stood to their feet and broke out in raucous applause.

Naruto's courage and determination not to cry broke in that moment. He let tears flow freely down his face as he was swarmed by every one of his friends, teachers and companions, all giving him words of congratulation and praise. Tsunade felt as though she had never been more proud. Sakura found that she felt the same way.

After everyone was out of breath from so much cheering, people began to leave. Tsunade and a few elders spent a while talking to Naruto and tying up any loose ends as the rest of the crowd left.

Quite a few people still remained once Naruto was finished. He looked almost completely drained and though the few that remained; Kakashi, Sakura, Tsunade, and a few others, wanted to say a few more things to Naruto, they understood that they could do so another time. Because as soon as Naruto's eyes found Sasuke's, it was clear that neither wanted anything more than to just be alone.

They deserved that.

* * *

"I really hated you," The blond teased, walking a safe distance, the other side of an abandoned dirt road, from his raven-haired companion.

"I hated you more," the other countered with a signature smirk, his hands held lazily in his pockets as he faced the setting sun, his feet moving along at a leisurely pace.

After the Hokage ceremony Sasuke offered to treat Naruto to Ichiraku. He didn't, of course, offer this nicely, but the gesture was appreciated. Ramen was always appreciated if Naruto had anything to say about it.

While at Ichiraku's, after Teuchi and Ayame gave their new Hokage a round of applause, Sasuke and Naruto sat together mostly in silence; something they did quite often when they were alone together. If they began to talk, they began to argue and, although it did make their sex especially hot when they were angry at each other, they had grown tired of senselessly bickering. The things they could say to each other just through looks and light touches were always of a much more loving quality than what came out of their mouths. Their mouths weren't very honest (at least not when they were out of the bedroom).

But the gaze Naruto gave Sasuke once they had finished dinner said to the quiet Uchiha, "we should talk."

It wasn't the scary kind of "we should talk," it was just a simple request from Naruto to Sasuke. The pensive man took it that Naruto wanted a nice, playful conversation with a bit of lighthearted teasing; Sasuke's favorite kind of conversation.

So they walked to a rather deserted, but strangely beautiful part of the village that had a wonderful view of the setting sun through the trees and over the rolling hills that carried out into the distance. They then proceeded to have a conversation about how much they had hated each other.

"I'm lying. I never hated you," Naruto corrected his previous, false statement ruefully. He paused as Sasuke smiled at him from the other side of the road. "I was jealous of you, and I was angry at you, and I was frustrated with you all the time! And I-"

"You had a lot of feelings towards me, mostly bad ones."

"They weren't all bad," Naruto muttered, pausing beneath a flowery tree so Sasuke stopped walking forward as well. "I liked you too. Enough to go after you about a billion times."

Sasuke silently watched Naruto through those dark, obsidian eyes, then looked away and shrugged.

"I just hated you."

When he turned back around to flash a joking smile in Naruto's direction he found that the blond, newly appointed Hokage was already coming towards him, halfway across the road that separated them, smiling. When he reached him he shoved Sasuke and then Sasuke shoved him back.

"Oi! Don't shove the Hokage!"

"I told you this Hokage thing would go to you're head, Dobe," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes, his hand holding tightly to Naruto's wrist as Naruto clutched his shirt in his fist.

Naruto just laughed and pulled the darker-haired boy into a deep kiss. When they broke apart the mood had shifted. Naruto's eyes seemed somehow a deeper blue than normal, and his brows were creased as though he were contemplating breeching a difficult subject.

"What is it?"

Naruto seemed to pop out of a daze as soon as Sasuke spoke, and his eyes focused onto Sasuke's. They pulled away from each other but that allowed them to become more centralized on each other.

"I was thinking about the oath I had to take today."

Sasuke nodded, vaguely unsure as to where Naruto was going with this. He seemed hesitant, and it made the Uchiha worry.

"I want you to swear an oath too," Naruto finally murmured just low enough for Sasuke, though no one else was around to hear him if he'd projected.

Sasuke's expression didn't change. His eyes were locked on Naruto's as the blond unflinchingly continued.

"I swore to protect the village, to never abandon it, and to make sure the village was first in my heart."

Sasuke lifted his head the smallest degree. It surprised him, less now than it did when they first reunited, how much Naruto had changed, how serious he could be when he really meant it.

"Sasuke, I trust you," Naruto added, though it wasn't necessary. Sasuke knew that, of every person in the Leaf, Naruto was still the one who trusted him the most. "But I feel guilty, because sometimes the village _isn't_ first in my heart… You are." He paused again, but Sasuke could see where he was going.

"If you swear an oath to the village as well then at least I will feel a little bit less guilty. You don't have to swear that the village is first in your heart, you just have to promise that you will do everything you can to protect it, and that you won't abandon it. Ever."

The two finely trained shinobi heard noise coming from down the dirt road that was now glowing orange in the brightest moments of the setting. They froze as a young mother, carrying one baby in a sling across her chest while another boy skipped along behind her, ambled cheerfully down the road, most likely coming home from shopping at the market.

It was moments like these, when he was with Naruto, or when he was quietly observing he workings of the Leaf village, that Sasuke felt his shell, hardened from years of hate and rage, soften and begin to melt away. It occurred to him that his family probably walked down these roads. His mother and father, others of the Uchiha clan- his brother. Itachi probably walked down these roads and saw the beauty of the people who lived there and recognized his calling. He turned back to Naruto and, as with every time he looked at Naruto, saw nothing but beauty and light.

Sometimes he wished he wasn't so in love with Naruto. He wondered what life was like to people who weren't in love; was it easier, simpler to live life alone? Not to be complicated by emotions and caring and not being so _reliant_ on another person for your happiness?

But then he thought about the feeling he got in his chest whenever Naruto was around him, whenever they kissed, made love, or even just sat together in complete silence. He wouldn't give up that feeling for anything; it was like the air he breathed.

He nodded his head and took a deep breath.

"I swear to protect _you_ with all of my strength so that you can protect this village with all of yours. I won't swear to be loyal to the village, but I swear to be loyal to _you_ until the day I die." He paused, then took Naruto's hand in his and smirked to lighten the mood. "Satisfied?"

The mother and her two children seemed so preoccupied with getting home and having a nice, big dinner with all the food they had just bought they didn't even notice that they were walking right past their new Hokage. Naruto smiled as soon as they disappeared around the corner, their voices still echoing through the trees.

"I'm never satisfied," he said with a lecherous grin spreading across his face.

"We'll see about that," Sasuke replied, pulling on Naruto's hand to get him closer.

* * *

"Sasuke, do you know what I'm scared of more than anything?"

It was dark. Sasuke and Naruto were lying in Naruto's bed with the blond's head gently across the other's bare chest. Sasuke stopped the repetitive motion of his finger's trailing up and down Naruto's whiskered cheek. He wondered where the question came from.

"Don't ask dumb, rhetorical questions, Dobe," he replied. "Of course I don't know that."

He felt the corners of Naruto's mouth rise in a smile against the flesh of his chest.

"Teme," the blond replied, his breath warm as it tickled Sasuke's skin. His smile then fell and Naruto seemed to curl closer into Sasuke's body. The Uchiha felt eye lashes brush against him, meaning the blond had closed his eyes as well.

"Being alone," came the fragile whisper from Naruto's lips. Sasuke stopped breathing. He stopped moving altogether.

Being alone.

Yes, Sasuke was very familiar with that particular topic. He was afraid of it too, but it'd been a while since he thought about it the way Naruto seemed to be doing now.

As it usually does, the fear took hold of him, gripped him inside and froze him, made him feel helpless. He'd been so alone for so long.

And it was his fault. He knew that. He was so good at pushing people away it made it seem like he liked to be alone but that isn't true at all, he just never knew how to be with someone.

He felt cold, and then he felt Naruto's arms clasp tightly around him, and all of the sudden there was warmth, and light, and Naruto's voice whispered in his ear.

"Sasuke, don't," he seemed to plead. There was a sadness in his voice and it caught Sasuke's attention, it made him stop for a moment.

"Don't hide, alright? I'm here. You aren't alone, so don't try and- and pretend-"

"I'm here too," Sasuke replied, cutting Naruto off because he knew where the blond was going. He sat up, looking down at Naruto's bright blue eyes with a strength he rarely got to show. So rarely did he get to show it that he wasn't even sure he still had it, but there it was.

"_We_ aren't alone. So don't think about being alone anymore, okay? Don't be afraid of it. Find something better to be afraid of."

It took Naruto a moment, but he understood Sasuke's message. It was comforting. It meant that, after everything he went through to protect and change Sasuke, every pain he suffered, both physical and mental, Sasuke understood, and he wouldn't let those pains hurt Naruto again.

The blond finally let a slight smile onto his face.

"Something better to be afraid of? Like what?"

Sasuke relaxed and laid back down, Naruto resting again on his chest as it rose and fell evenly.

"Like being a bad Hokage," he said jokingly.

Naruto bit him and Sasuke laughed quietly, then it was silent for a moment before he spoke again, this time more serious.

"You won't be a bad Hokage, Naruto," he muttered, his hand once again trailing along his favorite part of Naruto's body, the whiskers on his face. "You're going to be the best Hokage, and I'm going to be here with you."

Sasuke had never wanted to mean a statement more than that. He would be with Naruto, watching him, protecting him. He would do nothing else. Nothing else was even worth his time! Naruto was what wanted his life to be. That was what he wanted to be remembered for.

_Have I finally made the right choice, Brother? _He thought silently into the darkness. There was no reply, but somewhere deep inside Sasuke's heart he felt better, as if he were finally the person worthy of Itachi's undying love and protection.

That was what he wanted to be for Naruto, like Itachi was for him. But he wouldn't make the same mistakes that Itachi made. He wouldn't lie and he would never, _ever _leave Naruto. And he would make sure that there was no doubt in Naruto's mind about the way he felt.

"I love you," he whispered softly into Naruto's ear.

He waited for a moment for some sort of reply but it never came. He then felt long, even breaths coming from Naruto's chest. He was asleep.

Sasuke didn't mind. They had forever and ever in which to tell each other how they felt, and he knew that the way they felt about each other would not change.

How did he know?

It was impossible for them not to love each other.

They had no choice.

**The End.**

* * *

**Sorry this is kind of a short chapter, but I like how it wraps up here. :)**

**Thank you for reading! **

**KeikoPanda102**


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